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| Thursday, September 28, 2006 |
| I Feel Elated |
Right after I came back from Phoenix Arizona, I weighed 256 lbs. (116.36 kg.) which was the heaviest I’ve ever recorded. Eating the left over with soda every breakfast, double cheeseburger meal with large soda and fries at lunch, bars of chocolates every after meal, Cheetos and Doritos on my office bin every snack time, heavy meal at dinner, and most especially no exercise, were pretty much my life back in US. No wonder why I gained more pounds. Obviously, I lived in a very unhealthy lifestyle.
I began to ponder when all of my friends told me that I’m already fat and obese. Well that’s true, ‘coz I can no longer play long hours in the volleyball court or walk for distance which I used to do before. I looked terribly bad.
But due to the nature of my work in Manila, I can’t find time to go to gym. I was pre-occupied with a lot of tasks. But I managed to join the company’s volleyball league during off hours. In a way, it helped me reduce a couple of pounds and made me feel active. But still, my eating habits never changed. I still loved fast food meals, eating junk foods, and drinking sodas. Though I already lessen my food intake and started to drink fruit juices regularly. Nevertheless, I just have lost more or less 6 lbs in 4 months of doing that.
Before I flew here in Kuala Lumpur, I weighed around somewhere in between 247-250 lbs. with humungous bloated waistline of 40-42 inches. I was still damn overweight. But it didn’t cross my mind to try any diet program or go to gym though my doctor told me to start losing fats in my body for healthy living.
Until the time when I shed a couple of pounds due to boredom and homesick during my first few weeks here, I realized to give it a try. I believed that it was the right time for me since I have already started to lose weight, might as well continue it anyway. Since then, I go to gym regularly and watch my food intake. Each evening I drag myself out of my room and do my routine exercise.
As of this writing, my official weight is 220 lbs. (100 kg.) based from the reading I made 3 days ago. I have already lost 30 lbs. I feel elated!
Date Scribed: September 28, 2006 |
posted by Joseph @ 2:51 AM  |
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| Tuesday, September 26, 2006 |
| Guilty from What I've Done |
Last night, I hurriedly went down to gym to do cardio and resistance training while doing my laundry at the same time (multi-tasking).
Gym routine:
- stretching for few minutes
- jumping rope for few minutes
- bicycle (weight lost program) or threadmill (35 minutes combination of brisk walking, jogging, and running)
- 15 lbs dumbbells (30 counts each arm X 2 sets)
- sit-ups (30 times X 3 sets)
- and other machines for legs, arms, and shoulders, and abs (X 2 sets)
It took me 1 ½ hours before I finished my routine. Then I took shower afterwards.
From the time when I started my so called diet, I don’t eat heavy dinner during weekdays anymore. I just eat 2-4 slices of wheat bread with low-calories cheese and light mayo OR 1 apple, 1 orange, and slices of watermelon OR 1 apple, and slices of papaya OR vegetables with salad dressing such as thousand island, sos coleslaw, Italian dressings. BUT last night, my housemate cooked pasta with spaghetti sauce of his own. Believe me, my housemate cooks pretty well. I tried not to eat with them but I can’t refuse the temptation. I was already starving to death that time so in short I ate dinner with them. Then I ate pasta again as midnight snacks. Damn, I ate HEAVY dinner! Waaaahhh…
Now I am guilty. I know I’ll gain weight because of that and it’s no good. I hope this would be my last to cheat. Grrrhhh…
To somehow set right what I’ve done wrong last night, since I can no longer turn back the time, I woke up @ 6:30am and did some sit-ups. I still feel full and bloated upto now. I’ll just go to gym again later and do the same routine. *sigh*
Date Scribed: September 26, 2006 |
| posted by Joseph @ 7:39 AM |
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| Ecstatic Feeling |
Yesterday afternoon, I was on Time Square right after my support shift in the office. Oh yes, I was in the office because I was on standby support from 9am to 3pm. Lucky for me, there was no issues.
I just strolled around and trying to look for a dermatology clinic. I miss “Let’s face it” in Manila. I used to go there 3 times (sometimes more) a month for facial cleaning, pricking, etc. I badly need a facial now. Grrrh. But instead of a clinic, I found myself in stores buying clothes.
I’ve been watching my diet and going to gym regularly for more than 2 months now and considerably lost amount of weight but I don’t have the exact measure how much I’ve lost. I know I’ve trimmed a couple of inches in my waist, thigh, and hips as all my pants are already big for me now. When I was in Manila, I used to buy 40-42 size jeans and shorts. Poor Reylon… Yeah, I was overweight but since I stand 6’5, it wasn’t obvious much. (Hmm, maybe it was really obvious, it just that I didn’t mind it so much. Or should I say I was keep believing myself I wasn’t… on denial hehe). Going back, when I tried fitting shorts yesterday, I was surprised that I am already fit on size 36 (depending on brands some were even 34!) So if you do the math, I’ve lost 4 inches! Isn’t that great?!?!? Also, I used to buy 2X to 3X size shirts, but now, I can buy XL! I can’t believe with the result. I can’t believe I’ve done that. I am so proud of myself. Ha-ha.
But it was still a couple of inches more of my goal which is 32-33. So I still need to exert more effort and continue my motivation. Nonetheless, I am happy because in a short span of time I’ve lost significant figure. I still have more than 3 months to accomplish my mission so I know I can reach my goal on time. I believe I can make it!
I am just so delighted, overjoyed, ecstatic… hehe. Kudos for me!
Date Scribed: September 25, 2006 |
| posted by Joseph @ 7:38 AM |
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| Almost Busted |
Holy crap! I thought my Ipod video was busted… but really, it was almost…
For some reason, it hanged up. I just can’t play my music nor navigate the control. I was just listening a while ago then all of a sudden it stopped. I tried to plug-in, still it didn’t work. Gosh, this was only the first time it happened to my Ipod so I don’t know what to do. I don’t have the manual with me as I left that in Philippines.
Luckily, my friends Anna and Polly know how to reset. They asked me to toggle and hold the menu and the middle button for a while at the same time.
It worked! Thanks friends! I owe you one!
Date Scribed: September 25, 2006 |
| posted by Joseph @ 7:37 AM |
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| Petronas and MATTA fair |
After a long busy week, I thought I will be on full rest this weekend. But I was wrong.
My housemates’ friends Mike, Jerome, Yolly, and Janet came over our place and brought beers and “pulutan” foods. I already swore to myself that I won’t drink anymore. To be honest, I already quitted with alcohol since I started living in a healthy lifestyle (gym and diet), but they still gave me a can of “redhorse” beer. I zipped for one but my self-conviction towards my goal managed to kick my ass out of them. I decided not to join and rather stayed in my room. Should I be proud of myself for doing that?
The next morning I woke up early because I planned to go with Anai, Agri, and Mars in Petronas Tower, formerly the highest building in the world. Our meeting time was 8am but I arrived 15-20 minutes late. We met at Rotiboy bakeshop inside the Suria KLCC and headed straightaway to Petronas twin tower. There were already a massive group of people mostly foreigners in the line waiting for the ticket to be given out. The tickets are just limited and it’s a first come first serve basis. While we were on the line, an American guy spoke to Mars and asked about the catchphrase on her shirt. She was wearing the AMEX give away pink t-shirt with a slogan “They can’t tax your dreams”. Later we found out that the guy is actually working with American Express based in Washington and his wife is actually a Filipina. What a coincidence! We’re Filipino and we’re all former AMEX workers. Anyway, we all got our entrance tickets scheduled at 10:45AM. Since we still have time, we decided to have our breakfast @ Burger King.
We went back on time and watched a video about the tower. It was just a brief yet educational video. After that, we went up on 41st floor accompanied by the tourist guide. The panorama was amazing! We can only stay there for a couple of minutes so we took as many pictures as we can. It was a nice experience to be there overlooking Kuala Lumpur.
We strolled around Suria KLCC mall and had our lunch there. Anai and Agri ordered Chicken rice, Mars had Yoshinoba’s meal, and mine was Marinara seafoods pasta. After our lunch, we went to PWTC to visit the on-going MATTA fair.
We went there to see the cheapest packages they have going to Taman Negara since we are planning to go there on October 21-23. At the same time, we looked for packages going to Europe so we at least have an idea how much we need to save if we plan to have a vacation there in the future hehe. We also watched contingents from different Asian countries performing their cultural dances. Around 6:30PM, we decided to have our dinner @ Kenny Rogers. We all ordered the quarter chicken with 3 side dishes and muffin. It was a delightful heavy dinner.
It was indeed a long and tiring Saturday for all of us but as always I had fun going out with them.
Date Scribed: September 24, 2006 |
| posted by Joseph @ 7:36 AM |
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| My Friends in College |
Since I don’t have something to write on, I decided to write something about my college years…
I graduated at AMA Computer University last May 2002. I took up Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering. Throughout my college years I’ve met several folks from different walks of life. From smart to shabby, trendy to passé, old to young, well-off to destitute, straight to homo, and a lot more. From all of these people, I manage to keep few which I deemed my real TRUE best of friends NAMELY: Neil “neil” dela Cruz, Rochelle “ochie” Paz, Rainier “rain” Nepomuceno, Gilbert “gbert” Merto, Kathleen “khaye” Cabangon, Rowena “wheng” Eilinger, Rochelle “roch” Encarnacion, Sheilamar “sheila” Rocili, Graciela “grace” Ambalan, Laarni “lala” Gaba, Allan “allan” Mejia. Ronillo “ron” Dumaplin.
I considered Neil as my bestfriend. He knows almost all my secrets. He’s a very trustworthy person. He’s the 1st guy I’ve met on our very 1st day in school that’s why perhaps we jived a lot. We often called him “lolo” Neil because of his “almost all” unique grey hair. Thank God he dyed it now! Hehe.
Ochie is one of the nicest persons I’ve met in my entire life. She will never take her back on you (proven and tested hehe). Small but terrible as I describe this lady, she’s also articulate and very smart girl. She was one of my buddies in our thesis!
Rain was the wackiest person I’ve met in our school. I love to be always around him because he keeps on cracking jokes and he never failed us to laugh. He was also my partner in our thesis together with Ochie. He’s a very dependable friend. We used to hang out on their house whenever we have projects.
Gilbert was simply the GENIUS guy in the campus. No doubt that he was the most brilliant student in the history of our school, up to date. He excelled in ALL subjects except PE and ROTC? bwahaha. Sorry to say but he’s not a sports enthusiast! Hehe. Aside from being genius, he’s also a nice friend with a pure heart.
Khaye is the youngest in our group. FYI, she’s the female counterpart of Rain. She’s the most “kalog” gal in our group. She also liked to throw jokes together with Rain. I love being around with both of them hehe. But seriously, Khaye was very studious and one of the brightest stars in our class.
Wheng was the “quietest” person in our group. Don’t you ever dare to argue with this lady because you will feel sorry bwahaha. She’s very moody and temperamental. But on the off chance, Wheng is very thoughtful and compassionate (*wink*wink*).
At first, Roch and I were not that close because I’ve heard bad things about her from some of my classmates. But when we started to know this lady personally, I realized that they were all wrong. I found out that this lady is actually very polite and generous. I’m glad we became friends.
Shiela possesses an exemplary attitude when it comes to her studies. She was also one of the brightest stars in our class. I like this gal because she has a lot of ideas to share. She’s also articulate and witty person.
Grace was one of the midgets in our group hihihi. Despite of her height, she was the LOUDest among us. No need to mention why hehe. On a serious note, she’s very caring and sensitive.
I love Lala a lot! I will never ever forget the calculator incident bwahaha. Just because of that, I didn’t talk to her for almost a year! Bwahaha SO FUNNY. Despite of that, she remains my friend. Thanks being so kind and patient. hehe
Allan was the “marimar” of our group. I just don’t understand why this guy loved to sing Marimar songs bwahaha. On the serious side of him, he’s trustworthy and responsible too.
I’ve known Ron since my 1st year, 1st trimester. Since then, we’ve been classmates. His house is one of the places that we used to hang-out when we have projects (aside from Rain’s house). I should say that he’s the most creative and artistic among us.
Events/Moments/Place that I will never forget:
- Baguio trip with Rain, Och, Wheng, Neil, Shiela, Khaye, Mel (shiela’s bf).
* Thanks Neil for accommodating us on our 3 days and 2 nights’ trip.
- Ilocos trip with Rain, Och, Wheng, Shiela, Khaye.
* Thanks Sheila for the warmth hospitality. I loved the food and the beach! and the island hopping of course hehe. Also, the dinner near the shore then “kantahan” guitar session with bush fire afterwards.
- Baguio Retreat
* I will never ever forget the moment I was drunk! (captured by Butch’s video)
* kulitan/kwentuhan session with the “lasing” mates on Jonas’ room. bwahaha
- “tambay” session in McDo,
*na laging inoorder ni Neil eh value meal #1 hehehee
- Ochie/Rain/Roch/Ron’s Place
* brainstorming session that later on will end up to “kulitan” and “asaran” session
- SM North
* very memorable place for all of us bwahahaha
- Quezon City Circle
* trip lang hehehe
- “pasensya na” moment ni Roch
- “sibenti nine – 79” moment ni Grace
- “stidler” moment ni Lala
I’m really running out of words and can’t think of anything to add on this. But truly, I am so blessed to have you guys in my life and be my friends up to now.
That’s all for now folks… Signing off.
Date Scribed: September 18, 2006 |
| posted by Joseph @ 7:32 AM |
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| Saturday, September 23, 2006 |
| Dull and Dismal |
For the past weeks I was very busy with my work. I worked on and implemented most of my tickets so I can’t find time to update my blog. At the same time, I don’t have something to write on. There’s nothing really so special happened to me this past weeks. Nothing…
I don’t have someone or something to inspire me to write. I am dull and dismal since my good friend left. I don’t have someone here to cheer me up, no one to laugh with. There wasn’t even something special happened to me. My goodness, my life is damn BORING again.
I am running out of words to say right now. I better get going. *sigh*
Date Scribed: September 18, 2006 |
| posted by Joseph @ 10:23 PM |
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| Saturday, September 09, 2006 |
| I Love You... |
Last Wednesday my mom flew back to Saudi. =(
I should have prepared myself… I should have used to this…But honestly, it is still the same pain I had felt the first time he left us when I was four. It is hard for me to accept and to realize that I can’t see my mom for years again. I haven’t seen her for 3 years now, then more years to count because of this.
What’s more painful for me is to think that I am already earning enough to support them but I was not able to convince her to stay. In the first place, they’re the reason why I chose to work here abroad so I could give them their wants and needs, but I felt useless. I told her it’s no need for her to come back, but she insisted to go.
In all fairness, my mom explained to us everything. Besides, my dad is still there as well. Don’t worry, I promise that when you retire from work and decided to stay in Philippines for good, I’ll bring you to different places… I’ll do my best to give you what you deserve.
I love you Dad, I love you Mom.
Date Scribed: September 9, 2006 |
| posted by Joseph @ 8:43 AM |
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| Nothing Much |
It’s been a while when I posted my last blog. Where have I been? Actually, nowhere else but stuck here in my small world. I’ve never been in a vacation or something. For the past days, I was so busy at work and a lot of things happened so quickly that I can’t even find time to write it down.
I have so many deadlines right now that I need to work on. But that’s the reason why I am here, to work, so I have to deal with it. Besides, I am starting to enjoy my job. Hopefully this is the beginning…
Last week my friend Shan went back home to Oman. See my previous post about him. I happened to contact him early this week. So bad that I don’t have enough load in my cellphone, but none the less I am happy to talk to him again even for a few minutes only. He’s now back on school and swimming team. I’m so proud of him.
Last week, finally, I was able to finish watching the season 1 of Prison Break! Two thumbs up! It was exhilarating ‘til end. You must watch this series…
Last Sunday I accompanied my friend Vera to buy her laptop and move all her things from hotel to her new condo unit. We were with Ulysses when we went to Lowyat. After that, we just stopped by on her hotel to leave her laptop and went straight away to Midvalley Mall. We played bowling ‘til midnight and had a light drinks. We were still up ‘til 3am playing cards on Vera’s hotel unit. We slept over her place to help her move all her things that morning. It was tiring day for me but I enjoyed seeing my friends as always. I had fun. |
| posted by Joseph @ 8:24 AM |
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