BE HAPPY! Easy to Say, Hard to Do

Over lunch, someone from my husband's family told me that I should always be happy and smile because I am pregnant. If I worry too much or get angry then it may affect the little human growing inside me. 

She makes a good point. It's very rational. Stress has a physical effect. I'm sure she means very well.

There are also quite a few people who tell me, DON'T WORRY and DON'T THINK TOO MUCH. These are 2 sentiments you really shouldn't tell someone with OCD. We also don't want to think or worry. Trust me.

However, even if I feel that these people's intentions are good, I believe one CAN NOT simply  tell a person to BE HAPPY without doing anything to cheer him up. And you can't tell a person to stop worrying without giving him assurances.

The mind doesn't work like that.

First Of Many Days (and nights)

Today the little human inside me, woke me up earlier than the alarm. The first strong kick to jolt me.

Life is really going to change...

Groggy,

L

CRAVINGS: Vina Trang Authentic Pho and Vietnamese Coffee

I started my cravings with Plato Wraps and Dunkin Donuts Bunwich. Then I stopped for a while because I lost my appetite. By the 20th week, my cravings started again. This time, I went gaga for Shawarma and Gyros.

Now, I am on my Banh Mi spree! I've been eating Banh Mi for dinner for close to 2 weeks now.

The search for my perfect Banh Mi started with this modern Vietnamese restaurant in Serendra but their Banh Mi was crazy small and expensive! The following day, I wanted to try Bon Banh Mi but we got stuck in traffic and when we got there, they were already closed. I was really upset!

But as luck would have it, a few blocks away is an Authentic Vietnamese Restaurant, VINA TRANG. We just passed by it on our way home! Swerte lang talaga!

Strange Guest...

We invited a few people to our home a couple of months ago. One guest decided to take herself for a tour. She went into our bedrooms and even our bathroom  in the masters.

Now,  I know I have a small flat and maybe she got bored in our small living room.... But I found it really rude and intrusive that she went into our bedroom and our bathroom without my invitation.

I have thrown several dinners in my house in Singapore and most of my guests then were expats. I never had this experience. Usually my guests would just stay in the dining table and chat with each other.

When I go into other people's home, I just sit down and I never explore their homes without an invitation. Even when I go to my in-laws, I never go into the private rooms. Mostly, I just watch TV.

Anyway, such a minor thing but I was really thrown off. Needless to say, I am now hesistant to have her in my home again.

What do you think?


Uptight,

L

Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate To Cure Cough?

My husband said my cough is called " Chin" or cold. I should cure it by eating "dyet/diat" food. He came to this conclusion because I only coughed at night. 

Until I got married, I never really took the concept of "yin and yang" into account when I got sick.

I believe my cough and runny nose were both caused by viral infection. I was certain I caught it while I was in the lab. The lab was so cold and filled with sick people. It was systemic.

Anyway, my husband told me to drink hot chocolate before going to bed. I'd be crazy to refuse chocolate. A "medical excuse" to eat or drink chocolate is a hall pass to sin.

I made myself a cup of Swiss Miss. I should've skipped the marshmallows but my husband marshmallows are good for sore throat. Whatt??!!! Weird science!!!

The next day, I did feel better. 

So, I guess maybe it's not all hullabaloo afterall.

Getting better,

L

I Peed My Pants

Pregnancy is making a mockery of me.

I have been having a very bad cough these past couple of days, the kind of cough that woke me up in the middle of the night.

Worst, I peed in my panties everytime the cough was really bad.

Eventually I got so frustrated, I cried. I couldn't sleep straight through the night and worst, I had to change my panties several times.

Haaaaaayyyy!

Sick,

L

Message to Women Trying To Get Pregnant

Getting pregnant was not easy for me. Read about it Here

If you have been trying for a year already and you still have not conceived, you must really consider going to a specialist.

A woman's body is a wonderland. As in. It can do so many great things but so many things can also go wrong.

Thoughts On Giving Birth

And just like that, I am on my 25th week of pregnancy.

Time went by so quickly. I spent nearly all my first trimester feeling petrified if this pregnancy will push through. By the 12th-13th week, I anxiously waited for the Nuchal Scan.

I only started telling my family and friends around the 15th or 16th week.

Then the holidays came and before I knew it, I am about to enter my last trimester. The Last 3 Months Until My Life Changes Forever.

Yesterday, my husband's app alerted me that I am on my 25th week. I panicked.

My husband is very prepared. He has been looking for pedias and having meetings with the people of CordLife.

I, on the other hand, have done nothing except sleep.

 I'm really scared.

It occurred to me that maybe I am not ready to be a mother and to be responsible for another human. I never had cold feet during my wedding but I am having one now.

So, I made a list of the things that are within my control.

1. Make a Birth Plan
2. Make a list of items I need for delivery
3. Make a list of items for the newborn
4. Start thinking of a name
5. Sign all these papers from CordLife
6. Set an appointment with the Pedia options
7.  Buy a new and more efficient vacuum cleaner
8. Fix the kitchen cabinets to make space for all the stuff the little human will need.
9. Look for Breastfeeding classes
10. Schedule a last vacation...within the Philippines only.


I'm really overwhelmed. I just have this feeling that life as I know it...will never be the same. I hope it will be all good.


New Mom Fears,

L

Bye flat abs

Wala na talaga...

Bye flat tummy...

Hope to see you soon.

Getting fat na,

L

Stress And Its Many Poisons

Stress is something I was am too familiar with. Stress is my friend. I love the feeling of being stressed and I'm actually more productive when I am under pressure.

But my body doesn't love stress as much as I do.  I lose weight. I get dark circles under my eyes. I can't sleep. These are the usual physical manifestations of stress on me.

Back in my heydays, my favorite poisons to cure stress are the following:

1. Coffee- I drank around 3-6 cups a day
2. Wine-  I drank 2-3 glasses a night
3. Melatonin
4. ZZZquil


I drank coffee to wake me up. I drank wine to relax me. I took melatonin or ZZZquil to make me sleep.

And I functioned very well in my professional life. Sure my immune system was out of whack, but I was very productive at work. I didn't really care much. I was young.

Fast forward to now. I am pregnant and very healthy. I eat brown rice, veggies. I have said good-bye to coffee, wine, coke, juice. I no longer eat cakes as much as I used to. I sleep 8-12 hours a day. I do yoga and power walk. I've never been healthier in my life.

Then, there's my husband. He decided that he doesn't want stress to lose a client, so he enrolled himself in the program.

He has a different poison of choice: SMOKING.

My husband is not a chain-smoker. He smokes smoked when he got stressed. But, he frequently gets stressed.

And stress will never go away.

So,  a couple of weeks ago, I finally reached that point of indifference. I said...

" It's unfair that after you convinced me to get pregnant, you are now trying to kill yourself. Why then bother to start a family if you don't plan on staying long enough? I better work again to make sure I can take care of our family when you are gone."

That approach is called: PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE.  It works most of the time.

I added...

" Look, stress is never going away. It's just a question of what poison who wish to cure it with. So here's something to replace your smoking." 

 Then I gave him a new peculator and I set up a nice coffee corner beside his desk.

So now, he drinks 4-5 cups. He will probably get gastric problems from this. But  I tell you, when it comes to stress, you either get rid of the cause or you find another poison to deal with it.

How about you? How do you deal with stress?

Indifferent,

L

DEACTIVATING FACEBOOK

I deactivated my Facebook account because people I really don't care about, keep trying to get my attention by tagging me. It's really annoying. Even if I don't approve  it, I still see what they are up to because there is a prompt for reject or approve tags.

I really don't get it why people tag me when I'm not even in the picture....

It's like a virtual way of saying. "Look at me!" It's so KSP.

So, I have been off Facebook for 2 weeks now and in amazed with how much extra time i got out of it. I think we don't notice it but the time we spend in Facebook really adds up!

It actually feels very liberating!

Loving silence and not a care in the world,

L

SUGAR TEST: 75g OGTT

Because my guama died of diabetes, I've always loved and feared sugar. 

I remember way back in highschool, we went on a retreat in Bacolod. I saw ants trailing to the toilet bowl. I wasn't even sure if I was the last one to pee but I distinctinctly recall that I panicked. I suspected I had diabetes.

So, when the time came that I had to take the oral glucose tolerance test (ogtt), I wasn't too optimistic.

This is how the test works:

1. You fast for 8-10 hours

2. They take a first sample of your blood to measure your fasting glucose. This is the reference.

3. You drink pure glucose syrup. It doesn't taste as bad as they say it does. Mine was cola flavor.

4. After one hour, they draw blood and collect urine.

5. After two hours, they draw blood and collect urine again.

6. On the third hour, they draw blood and collect urine for the last time.

The series of blood samples are meant to determine how quickly sugar is cleared from the blood.  

I was fairly confident with my fasting glucose numbers but I was nervous as to how fast my body will clear off the glucose. After drinking the cola-flavored syrup, I wasn't allowed to walk across the street to go to Starbucks. I had to stay inside the freezing lab. I couldn't help my body breakdown the sugar. It had to do the job on it's own.

There are many cases where the fasting glucose is okay but the body couldn't breakdown the glucose as fast as it should.  It can either be a case of hyperglycemia or impaired glucose intolerance.  This means, you don't have diabetes now but you may get one in the future.

I dreaded that part...

...Because I love cake. 

Here are my results and the reference numbers.

Phew!

I think it helps that I have always been physically active. A sedentary lifestyle can cause Type 2 diabetes.

How are your sugar levels? When was the last time you checked?

Relieved,

L

Dealing with Pain

As I write this post, I'm waiting for my last draw of blood  for today's lab test. Beside me is a little girl around the age of 5, waiting for her turn. She is very scared and her mom is lying to her that there will be no injections.

This scene made me think. 

How do we deal with pain? 

Personally, I acknowledge the arrival of a painful situation but I just look away at the very moment it happens.

For instance, during my wisdom tooth extraction, I brought my eye mask and my iPod filled with Disney songs.

When they take my blood, I look away as the needle penetrates my skin.

If anyone causes me stress or pain, I shut them out from my life.

In fact, when I ride a roller coaster, I also cover my ears and close my eyes!

I believe that seeing and hearing heightens the impact of pain. So I lessen the senses involve.

More often than not, pain is all in the mind. It's the mental anticipation of pain that's more painful than the physical aspect of it.

I'm not the type who would slash my wrist to physically feel my emotional pain. I once knew someone who did that. I never quite understood it. 

I do mentally condition myself that I will survive the pain. But, part of that mental conditioning is telling myself that the pain, however unbearable, will end.

So the little girl,whose mom lied about no injections, is now crying to the top of her lungs as she enters the lab.

 I wonder  what would've been a better approach. Lie about the injection or Be truthful about it and establish a reward system?

How about you...how do you deal with pain?

Starving,

L

Urban Ashram Manila Offers Yoga for Pregnant Women

Prenatal Yoga is a safe option for women to continue being fit during their pregnancy. 

Urban Ashram Manila offers Birthlight Prenatal Yoga. This class supports the mother as she goes through changes that comes with pregnancy by allowing her to connect with her body and her baby while keeping fit, strong, and relaxed. All expectant are welcome to join whether or not they have practiced yoga previously.

 

Birthlight is significantly different from the regular yoga classes I used to take. 

For instance, there are no reverse twists and no intense core work. The aircon is cooler compared to vinyasa classes. The transition from one pose to another is also slower.

I personally find it light and relaxing. 

There are a lot of stretches to offer back relief . Lower back pains are common among pregnant women as the back bears the weight of the growing tummy.

It's a mix class. Women on their 14th week can join those who are already on their 35th week. So, teachers adjust the poses depending comfort levels of the other students.  If you feel you can do more strength poses, you can tell the teacher and she can provide you with options.

We use the wall for support when we do modified versions of warrior, downward dog and balance poses. 

(Eeeppp my form is wrong!)

Depending on the teacher, there are some sessions that offer dynamic (repetitive) poses for a bit of cardio. I personally prefer this over the relaxation poses. But maybe I will change my tone when I reach the third trimester.

Each class is 550php for 1 hour and 15 mins. Visit urbanashramyoga.com to get the schedules.

Staying Fit,

L

Oh! I also do 40 mins power walk 4-5x a week.

Know Your North Star

When I have fears or problems, I very rarely open up to others. I don't just randomly viber or chat with my friends to rant.

That's because I feel it's not fair for others to absorb my negativity. I have friends who seem to find it perfectly okay to message me in the middle of the night to vent or to cry to me. While I listen, I won't deny that I feel really bad after listening to them.

Both positive and negative feelings are energies. In accordance with the law of Physics, Energy can neither be created nor detroyed. 

So I am glad that I have found a safe space here in the internet where I can anonymously share my emotions,both good and bad, and readers can choose which message they want to "absorb". 

When I touch an emotion and relate to someone I haven't met before, it brings me comfort that somewhere out there, someone hears.

When I receive a life story from people I haven't met, I am amazed how our lives are so different and yet we share so many similarities in the way we feel and relate to one another.  

I learn so many things from the few people who try to get intouch with me through this journal. Even if I don't know you, personally, your words comfort and teach me life lessons. 

I wish to share a story I received from an anonymous reader. She shared a sad story that I could relate to. While my experience is not as deep as hers,  I understand the feeling for being torn between work and family. 

Here's her story...

The Fear Of Losing Myself

I am a strong advocate of Self-Love. I believe that things and people change and will eventually leave me.

This is not me being pessimistic.

Buddhism teaches that even something precious and enjoyable is " dukkha", because it will end. So, my shallow understanding of Buddhism lead me to a shallow execution. I simply try not to get too attached to anything or anyone.

On my list, God comes second. I am working on loving God before myself.  It's a relationship that is a work in progress.

The political answer is to always say "I love God above all" but let's be honest...most of the decisions we choose are almost always for our own good rather than obeying the will of God.

Raise your hand if you have forgiven all those who have sinned against you? And I mean ALL.

Anyone?

You see my point.

Then there's my husband. He is third on my list.

Of course I love my husband very much but I will not deny that I love myself more. If I don't love myself, I probably have no love to give him anyway.

When I got married I did promise to be with him for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish and until death do us part. I never made a vow to love him above myself.

So far loving myself has allowed me to survive life. It is quite easy for me to leave people or circumstances that cause me unhappiness.

For me, life is too short to waste on people and things I don't like.

Then pregnancy happened...

With only 16 weeks to go until giving birth, it finally dawned on me that I will potentially love another person ABOVE myself. It's a scary thought.

A couple of nights ago, I broke down and cried to my husband.

Sex During Pregnancy

None

Concluding my shortest entry,

L

Ps> That's because I take UTROGESTAN, which I had to take "intravaginally". 

Celebrity Moms Using BabyPlus: Isabel Oli and Bianca Gonzalez

Many months ago, when I was still preparing to conceive, I wrote about BabyPlus after I attended the baptism of my friend's son. I took notice of his then 3 month old baby. The baby was particularly alert, behaved and yet very interactive with the guests. Unlike ung iba na tantrums na kung tantrums! His son was the most behaved and attentive during the baptism.

He told me that they used BabyPlus.

Fast forward to now that I am finally pregnant. A reader of my blog, K, recommended this product. I also saw posts on Instagram that celebrity moms like Isabel Oli and Bianca Gonzalez also used BabyPlus in their pregnancy. 

(Photo from Isabel Oli's IG)

My Pregancy Pillows: Tempur and Mamaway

Ever since  my belly got a bit bigger, I could no longer lie flat on my stomach. I have to lie on my side. I was initally not used to this sleeping position. As a result, I started getting neck strains.

My husband got me a tempur pillow and I swear, the next day my week-old stiff neck was gone. No joke.

So apparently there's a reason why some people pay a premium for Tempur. In our case, my husband paid 7,000 php for one SYMPHONY PILLOW.  At first I was really upset that he bought it but after my neck strain immediately disappeared, I ate my words.

To make lying on my side more comfortable, I also use a Mamaway Memosorb maternity and nursing pillow. I use it as my "yakap".

I have so many sleeping gears now! Well, I also sleep 8-12 hours a day and I'm loving every minute of it...sleeping that is.

There's really a pillow for pregnancy but I didn't buy it na because its huge and it'll be useless after I give birth. So we just made certain adjustments, for tipid sake.


Where to buy:

Tempur Pillow

Rustan's
Tempur BGC

ONGOING Promo! until January 31, 2016!

 

Pillow Bundle Promo.
- 15% off (minimum of 4 pcs.) for regular pillows

 - 20% off (minimun of 3 pcs.) for Sonata, Classic, Ombracio & Breeze pillow

Mamaway Pillow

Mamaway at Shangrila Mall
Online at www.milkandhoney.ph



Sleepy again,

L

MOVIE REVIEW: Walang Forever

It was so weird that on our anniversary we watched "Walang Forever".

We were in Glorietta last night and  we couldn't decide  where to eat. So, we figured we would just grab a burger and watch a movie, just like old times.

Since, "Walang Forever" got a lot of good reviews, we chose this over all the other MMFF entries. My husband is not a big fan of Pinoy slapstick comedies and I'm not a big fan of horror.

I won't do an elaborate movie review since I'm not a movie critic but I wish to do a quick and dirty summary of what I personally think.

1. The Screenplay was very well writen.

Honestly, it's rare to find a Filipino movie with a serious plot but cleverly tempered with comedic execution. Bihira ang SERIOUS Pinoy movie that has commercial appeal. Period! Kaya nga those that achieve such goals ( Like, That Thing Called Tadhana) are catapulted to epic status.

The writers of "Walang Forever" weaved a witty dialogue among the leads and supporting cast to the point that the ending almost became an unexpected twist.

I also love the overall premise of the story. It's dramatic yet not too heavy and very relatable to the new generation's concept of a relationship.

2. Great Supporting Cast

I was particularly impressed with the comedic timing of Jerald Napoles and Pepe Herrera. Actually, they were all good but these two caught my attention.

Ang simple ang linya nila pero sa delivery talaga ung impact.

3. Chemistry between Jericho and Jennylyn

They were very natural and believable even if hindi sila love team.Echo is a natural in flirting, as in nakakakilig ang confidence.

Both of them have the maturity and the chemistry to be convincing in their roles.

4. There were a few misses in editing.

Personally, I feel that during the interview with Phoemela Baranda, they could've skipped the parallelism to real life. 

This is to heighten the reveal when Echo watched all the movies. It felt redundant because they already showed it at the start.

There were also scenes that could've been shorter but they were prolonged (for a few minutes lang naman) and often accompanied with no scoring or no dialogue. My husband found some parts dragging but I suppose those were necessary to make a point na awkward or nakakainip ang situation. 

5. Scoring

There were some editing issues that could have been easily addressed with musical scoring. 

Overall, it is a very good story! I love the cast and their clever lines!  Let me know what you think.

Feeling lazy to do my chores,

L

First Day Back at Work

My mom had this annoying song that she would sing on the last night of just about any break. The song torments me until now...

Last night, I was feeling really horrible that Christmas is really really over. I tried to convince my husband to join me in my misery party last night but he seemed very excited for 2016.  After all, he is going to be a father.

I don't usually welcome the New Year with open arms. I feel that it is filled with so much uncertainty. During Christmas, I feel I survived the whole year and I deserve to celebrate. During the New Year, I am filled with dread and anxiety. New targets and new goals= work.

My mind is just wired differently. I'm not a pessimist. I'm just a little bit weird.

So, today my husband woke me up really early so that we can drive to our office in Binondo. When I got to the office I had to prepare the gifts for the press and the purchasers. We usually give gifts after the break because I figure, everyone hates going back to work after the very long holidays.

Then, I reviewed the January schedule which is filled with a lot of tasks...pfffttt.

Some things never change.

Well, the good news is there were no 600 emails to welcome  me and no Sales Conference to fuss about.

Oh! Another good news! Today is the first day I met my husband. We talked online in December and He flew to Iloilo to meet me after a month of talking in YM. We will  go out to celebrate after work.

How about you, how was your first day back at work?


Pffft,

L

FILIPINO-CHINESE TELENOVELA: The Rich Man's Daughter

Oh My Gulay!!!!! I just finished watching all 65 episodes of The Rich Man's Daughter on Iflix. As in now na now lang! It took me nearly 2 weeks to finish everything! I got so addicted to the series that on some nights, I slept very very late! 

Halfway through the telenovela, my husband joined me and it became one of our bonding moments. He enjoyed listening to their attempts at speaking Fookien. He'd laugh and say, "Ano raw?" He would then point out to me that atleast the actors are trying to speak Chinese while I barely make the effort. Pffft!

The series is actually about a Fil-Chi girl from a conservative and very prominent family, who realized she is a lesbian when she fell in love at first sight with another girl. Needless to say, her family is very strict and they put the lesbian couple through hell.

New Year's Stay at Richmonde Hotel Iloilo

I went home to Iloilo for the New Year holidays. It was a fairly quick trip because I was avoiding traffic, both on the runways and on the roads. The construction of the skyway in front of Terminal 3 has tripled the travel time going to the airport. 

I tell you, driving in the airport area has been hell since the onset of the festive season.

And so, we took the earliest flight possible. 

We arrived at RICHMONDE HOTEL, located in the new Megaworld Complex in Iloilo. Upon arrival, I saw a familiar face attending the concierge counter, Ramon Sia. He is a childhood friend. My mom started asking him how  his parents are. The moment I heard people speaking in Ilonggo, I  immediately felt that I was home. 

The ladies at the reception counter were gracious enough to grant us early check-in.  I was very groggy and I badly needed sleep.

This is actually my second time to stay in Richmonde Hotel Iloilo. And just like the first, I was very happy with with my overall experience with the hotel.

They have an ongoing promo: 4,000 php nett for a Deluxe Room. Inclusive of buffet breakfast for 2 pax. The promo will run until January 15, 2016.

The price is an amazing deal considering how gorgeous the rooms are! We got a king size bed in a very spacious room.

The bed was so comfortable and their beddings felt like clouds. I slept from 9am-12 noon. Then my husband woke me up because we had lunch plans with mama.