yebaah!

flood, fire and a koala

pets — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:39:15 +0000

It was only last week that we had hellish conditions at 40°C, and now it’s13°. As I’m writing this, Canberra is shivering through the coldest February in years. That and the need to concentrate have compelled me to work from home.

Nature has run amok. Her help was needed to control the raging bushfires in Victoria, and she sent buckets to flood Queensland instead. Her GPS seriously needs tweaking!

The recent bushfires have showed the most noble of human nature: bravery and heroism, love, care and compassion to the most vulnerable - men and animals alike. To me, this very endearing scene encapsulates everything. This and everything the firefighters and volunteers have done make one proud to be Australian.

heart to heart

pets — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:41:48 +0000

I don’t have to tell anyone how important it is to keep a healthy heart.  I don’t deprive myself of any food and at times, I overeat, but now I always know when to stop indulging and start exercising.

I learnt that any exercise that does not get your heart pumping does not achieve much.   This cheap little gadget has been helping me get my heart going at the right level and my body back into shape.

Strapping this heart monitor helps me maintain a certain heart rate to prevent my heart from excessive strain on one hand and on the other, to achieve the optimal exercise results. For women, the rule of thumb is 226 - age = maximum heart rate (MHR).  For men, it’s 220 - age = maximum heart rate.

To burn fat or for weight control and loss, one needs to be working at 60-70% of one’s MHR. For fitness and endurance training, it’s 70-80%, but exercising at 90-100% overloads specific muscles and risks serious heart injury.

Using the monitor, I found that a leisurely walk barely gets me to the fat burning zone, while brisk walking for 30 minutes to one hour does. To increase my exercise level, I brisk walk uphill or play boxing with my Wii for about an hour. Both get my heart seriously beating at 70-80% of my MHR.   Two weeks at this level got me fitting back to my size 8 clothes. My aim is size 6 in another two weeks.

hawaiian macadamia cake

pets — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:12:11 +0000

Baking is therapeutic.  No, I’m not having Izzi’s muffin madness in Grey’s Anatomy.  I just find conjuring something from a hodge-podge of ingredients simply fulfilling - pun intended :) The reward is instantaneous…oh well, in about an hour.

The recipe said to cook it for 1 hour and 15 minutes. But since I didn’t follow the suggested baking pan shape and size, I knew it had to be less, so i closely monitored it. Almost to an hour, the skewer test told me the cake’s ready.

Though my recipe book classified it under ‘crumbly cakes’, the outcome is this deliciously sweet, moist macadamia cake.

The crushed pineapple bits inside provide an interesting citrusy twist, while giving one’s taste buds that occassional break  from the sweetness. The combination of macadamia nuts and pineapple bits offer interestingly varied textures with each bite. The treacherous looking icing is made of cream cheese, lemon juice and a tiny bit of butter.

i haven’t blogged because…

pets — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 23:31:42 +0000

Last July i decided to go to work.  After our US-Canada-Mexico tour and buying/renovating a house in Davao, I needed to replenish our bank balance. I felt guilty shopping with my husband’s money. And i needed to do something worthwhile other than surfing, reading blogs and friendster. My mind’s turning to mush.

I did contract work for three months, and at the end of my one-year leave last October, I decided to go back to my permanent job. Both were heavily policy research and writing work. My brain’s so deep fried by the end of the day that i absolutely didn’t want to do anything other than check my email and friendster for goss. My weekends were quality time with hubby, eating and hanging out with friends, and of course, retail therapy.

We’ve just wrapped up our three-month research and evaluation project,  and I’m now looking forward to another long holiday mid-February, somewhere in Asia. My tickets are booked. I’ll be blogging in the meantime…

scents and sensibilities

pets — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:49:25 +0000

My husband and I met with Michelle and Jim (who are soon to be wed) last Saturday to scout for a wedding veil. Well, we all got sidetracked sniffing perfumes on sale at Canberra Centre in Civic. A few dollars later, we came out like happy kids with a bagful of lollies and smelling like potpourri J.

Good perfumes can be quite expensive, so I seldom miss a sale opportunity - one of the tricks to always get value for money. Here’s more: (more…)

The Hulk’s second chance

pets — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 11:35:30 +0000

Having seen the first Hulk installment, I must admit that I was bracing myself for another disappointment. The Eric Bana starrer was too dark for my taste, heavy and full of melodrama that dragged on and on and on. After all, I watch this sort of movie to entertain myself. If I wanted something deep and thought-provoking, I’d watch something Shakespearean or Freudian maybe.

I didn’t mind that the filmmakers made the Hulk so huge, but I certainly found myself getting annoyed how they made whatever little action scenes the Hulk had too fast and too hazy. No wonder it sank in the box office.

But it’s a good thing that Marvel didn’t give up on the Hulk and took another plunge. This time with Edward Norton as the troubled scientist who turns green when angry. The filmmakers made the storyline simple and close to its cartoon origins. They even downsized the Hulk to believable dimensions and used the original music. The movie doesn’t try to be intellectual either. Best of all, it is fast-paced, action packed and entertaining!

I’m not going to tell you bits of the story, just go watch it!

light bulb moments 2

pets — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:03:02 +0000

Reflecting on my life and the lives of those around me, i say:

How can you expect love to find you when you keep running around looking for it?

Happiness is not (more…)

to GMA’s advisers…

pets — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:40:53 +0000

…and to all those working for the government:

i’ve come across this article that so aptly describes the challenges policy advisers have and the standards that any public servant should strive for when providing advice to government.  Here is the link: Challenges confronting economic policy advisers.

Learn the message by heart - isapuso, baka sakaling gumanda (kahit konti) ang takbo ng gobyerno.

can’t wait for sex…

pets — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:01:37 +0000

and the city. hehehe. what d’ya think?

the movie premiered here in Australia Thursday last week. hordes of female moviegoers lined up to see it, all dressed and dolled up ala SATC’s fashion - patterned winter stockings, evening wear, stilettos and a glass of wine to boot. My friends and I were too underdressed in our jeans to join their very looong queue, so we watched Narnia instead.  I want to watch SATC end of this week. hopefully, the female specie would be more subdued by then.

i hardly missed an episode of the tv series and i’m hoping the movie version will live up to the wackiness and quirkiness that made the tv version ultra-famous. i haven’t heard or read (on purpose!) any reviews yet, so please shut up and don’t spoil the fun.

synch this in.

pets — Thu, 29 May 2008 03:11:06 +0000

Life always happens in seasons and I’m constantly out of tune with it.

There was a time when every girl my age in my neighborhood, friends and former schoolmates seemed to be getting married and pregnant, vice-versa or just plainly getting pregnant.   (more…)