AWESOME!

MY CURRENT READ

"Polar ice caps are melting, hurricanes swirl in the seas, wars are heating up around the world, and the job market is in a deep freeze.

Whoa. It's getting pretty ugly out there.

That's why one chilly spring night I started a tiny website called 1000 Awesome Things...

I never imagined that writing about finding money in your old coat pocket, the smell of gasoline, or watching The Price Is Right when you're at home sick would amount to anything.

It seems like maybe these tiny little moments make an awesome difference in many of our rushed, jam-packed lives. Maybe we all love snow days, peeling an orange in one shot, and popping bubble wrap.

Maybe we're basically all the same...

With so much sad news and bad news pouring down upon us, it's fun to stop for a minute and share a universal high five with the rest of humanity."

-- N.Pasricha


Among the awesome experiences listed on the book, these made me say "So true!":

1. When cashiers open up new checkout lanes at the grocery store
2. Having a whole row to yourself on the plane
3. Being the first table to get called up for the dinner buffet at a wedding
4. Finding out your birthday is on a Friday or Saturday
5. Using hotel lobby bathrooms when you're out walking around
6. Taking your bra off after wearing it for hours
7. Waiters and waitresses who bring free refills without asking 
8. When the thing you were going to buy is already on sale
9. Finding your keys after looking forever
10. Finally remembering a word that's been on the tip of your tongue for so long
11. The smell of frying onions and garlic
12. Finding money in your pocket

And the list goes on. I'm still reading the book. And you know what? I'm actually not in a rush to finish it. I'm savoring the list. Ninanamnam ko talaga, haha. It's such a happy read!

***

If I were to come up with my personal list, I'll definitely include our recent AWESOME experiences (that I must blog about, in detail, soon):

1. The realization that our 'wealth' is not in the form of SUVs or designer bags, but in being able to afford  our Singapore Adventure and a very comfortable 'career break.'
2. No-alarm-clock work-day Mondays. 
3. What tops working in your SG home, in your pajamas? Earning SGD in Manila! 
4. Enrolling in not just one but three film schools. So happy for my Hubby!
5. A viral campaign for a shampoo brand. A TVC for a pain reliever. So proud of you, Baby!
6. Applying for a Junior Management position, and getting hired for a Senior Management position. In an industry I've been eyeing. So excited!
7. Our new worlds: film, advertising, retail, marketing, events. 
8. Our parents telling us how proud they are of us. *sniff, sniff*
9. Spending time with someone so young and inspiring, as she wins over the Big C.
10. Seeing a family stay so strong throughout their grieving. 
11. The comfort from having strong family ties. 
12. Tita Time. 
13. Road trips that allow you to have long, heart-to-heart talks with best friends. 
14. Welcoming and ending each day with your Life Partner. 
15. Living the truth in "God's Plans are greater than your dreams." 

TRULY AWESOME!

Thank you, God. 

LIVE FULLY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE

With an expiration of less than twelve hours,

what does Jesus count as all most important? 

"And he took bread, GAVE THANKS and broke it, 

and gave it to them..." (Luke 22:19 NIV).

Jesus offers thanksgiving for even that which will break Him and crush Him 

and wound Him and yield a bounty of joy.

As long as thanks is possible, then joy is always possible. Joy is always possible. 

Whenever, meaning-now; wherever, meaning-here.

Thanksgiving is the evidence of our acceptance of whatever He gives. 

Thanksgiving is the manifestation of our "Yes!" to His grace.

-- a few of my favorite lines from my current read, 

Ann Voskamp's 

"ONE THOUSAND GIFTS: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are."

PERFECT TIMING.
Thank you to KLG and The Today Show
for the recommendation.

'Thank you' are among my favorite words. My Gratitude Journal is among my most valuable possessions. That's why I easily gravitated to the book One Thousand Gifts.

Living in gratitude is easy through good times, tough through bad. But because I've experienced the truth in this -- The holy grail of joy is not in some exotic location or some emotional mountain peak experience. The joy wonder could be here! Here, in the messy, piercing ache of now...(Ann Voskamp) -- I choose to give thanks, no matter what.

As the book reminds us, Jesus revealed the secret to happiness, through his own example. In his dying hours, He still chose to give thanks. (Mamamatay na, papatayin na, nagpapasalamat pa rin.) The greatest thing is to give thanks for everything. He who has learned this knows what it means to live.


Today, I'm especially grateful for:

1. Our Amazing Adventure. Wow.
2. Thank you, God, for the wonderful opportunity. 
3. Thank you for all the life-enriching experiences.
4. New perspectives. 
5. The next chapter. 
6. The new road.
7. New Dreams
8. Stronger Faith
9. Our marriage. 
10. Our families. 
11. Tita Time!
12. Our friends.
13. Good health.
14. Our lovely home.
15. Our quiet little life. 
16. Freedom!
17. Current work set-up. (Pwedeng ganito?! Bongga.)
18. Because it can get too hot -- Thank you for cold showers, the swimming pool, the air con, and finally some rain!
19. Successfully crossed-over to advertising after doing TV for more than a decade. 
20. The opportunity of crossing-over into another dream industry. *praying*
21. The reminder to be cautious as to who you let into your life. 
22. Ikea
23. Today's errand was finished in less than an hour. We're pleasantly surprised. 
24. Thai massage. Pinoy dinner. American Idol.
25. Jessica Sanchez. We're in awe of the girl's talent. She's been making a lot of people, especially Pinoys, happy and proud. Final results in a few hours!
26. Be grateful that God doesn't grant us everything we want. Instead, He provides us with everything we need. 
27. God's Plans are greater than our dreams. (I never imagined I'd be where I am now. Again, pwede pala 'to?! Bongga.)
28. Thank you, God, for loving us the way you do. 

Try starting your own Gratitude Journal. List everything you're grateful for. Not of gifts you want but of gifts you already have. That's the dare to LIVE FULLY right where you are. 

GARDEN GETAWAY

Cheap thrill: Concrete jungle time-off at the Singapore Botanic Garden. (MRT Station: Bontanic Garden, Circle Line). Eksena on a Sunday: Families and friends having picnics; kids flying kites and learning how to ride their bikes; senior couples walking hand-in-hand. 

What we did: While Hubby was busy with his Project (he was the only one who went around the Garden), I chose a spot where I could quietly read. I'm low maintenance. Iwan mo lang ako sa damuhan, with a book, OK na ako. Hahaha!

Below's my lovely spot under the sun. The umbrella's a despedida gift from my friends N, J and M. It was part of my 2011 birthday wish list.

What a view! It was so relaxing to be lying down on the grass, looking at the sky, reading my book, snacking on my Seaweed Lay's, sipping Coke, napping. THANK YOU, GOD, for such blessed moments!

What I was reading: David Nicholls' "One Day."

I vowed to give the book a chance since the movie failed me. Very good decision.

We've seen the ducks before...

So the date highlight was seeing Black Swans for the first time! 

They're more beautiful than Natalie Portman! *kidding*

Are you joining me on the grass?

Ah, life's simple joys! 

Savored the moment from my reading spot. 

Those are my black ballet flats. (May theme? Black swans, black flats...Haha!)

Merienda at Cluny Court, located at the left side of the Botanic Garden gates (MRT station gates).

Pretty lamps and blooms at the Cluny Court entrance. Yes, Spring Festival pa rin! (I believe the Year of the Water Dragon officially started yesterday, February 5, 2012?).

Pizza Date at Gastronomia. 

Hubby had Chili Con Carne pizza. It was good! SGD7.50. 

I had the Salmon & Pesto pizza. Yum! Also SGD7.50.

The lovely pedestrian bridge near the Botanic Garden MRT station. See the bridge facade from my other Botanic Garden entry.

Date shot. Love, love, love.

The grass is greener
on this side of the fence.

ROLLER COASTER RIDE

There are books
that impact your life
because you get to read them
at the perfect time.

"From Maria's diary, one night when she lacked the courage to go out, to live or to continue waiting for the phone call that never came:

I spent today outside a funfair. Since I can't afford to fritter my money away, I thought it best just to watch other people. I stood for a long time by the roller coaster, and I noticed that most people get on it in search of excitement, but that once it starts, they are terrified and want the cars to stop.

What do they expect? Having chosen adventure, shouldn't they be prepared to go the whole way? Or do they think that the intelligent thing to do would be to avoid the ups and downs and spend all their time on a carousel, going round and round on the spot?

At the moment, I'm far too lonely to think about love, but I have to believe that it will happen, that I will find a job and that I am here because I chose this fate. The roller coaster is my life; life is a fast, dizzying game; life is a parachute jump; it's taking chances, falling over and getting up again; it's mountaineering; it's wanting to get to the very top of yourself and to feel angry and dissatisfied when you don't manage it.

It isn't easy being far from my family and from the language in which I can express all my feelings and emotions, but, from now on, whenever I feel depressed, I will remember that funfair. If I had fallen asleep and suddenly woken up on a roller coaster, what would I feel?

Well, I would feel trapped and sick, terrified of every bend, wanting to get off. However, if I believe that the track is my destiny and that God is in charge of the machine, then the nightmare becomes something thrilling. It becomes exactly what it is, a roller coaster, a safe, reliable toy, which will eventually stop, but, while the journey lasts, I must look at the surrounding landscape and whoop with excitement." -- Eleven Minutes, Paulo Coelho

BOOK LOVERS' HAVEN

Look what we found! *cartwheels and confetti blast* There's a Public Library at Serangoon's Nex Mall! Yahoo!

Our love for reading is an open book. I've written about it a lot of times here. So to find a Public Library in our "new home" is bliss! We're very impressed with their collection of books and magazines. Titles na wala sa Pinas, andito. We'll be able to read them for free. Yey! The reading spots are comfortable (kaya may mga natutulog, LOL), we reco the spots by the window for maximum light. 

Bagong tambayan? Hehe.

The Serangoon Public Library is open Monday to Sunday, 11am-9pm. Closed on Public Holidays. 

How to get there: Go down the Serangoon MRT station (also in the Purple Line, like Punggol), enter the Nex mall, it's on Level 4.

Read more about the Public Library here.


PS
We just found out that there's a public library nearer Punggol -- at the Compass Point mall in Sengkang (the next town). But Serangoon's titles are more updated, hehe.

MY FIRST E-BOOK

I just finished my very first ebook (an Amazon gift from my dear friend L - Thank you!). It's Samantha Sotto's "Before Ever After."

Loved some parts, hated (too harsh) didn't like the other parts so much.

Was intrigued by the premise: Shelley is a young widow, mourning the death of her husband, Max. One day she meets his supposed grandson, and learns that Max could still be alive, is actually 200 years old and immortal!

Going back to the many lives Max has lived started out very interesting and yes, fresh. Until it became a drag -- 200 years old na nga kasi!

Told Hubby about the story and his reaction -- "Highlander?" Have you seen the film and the TV series? I didn't watch either. But reading through the plot lines via Wikipedia, I see the similarities. Hmmm.

I'd still recommend that you read "Before Ever After." Pinoys, let's support our kababayan. Besides, I'm a believer of shaping your own opinion about things. Huwag nakasalalay sa opinyon ng iba. *wink*

Sharing with you some lines I liked:

• We change at least one person's life just by being born. If you don't believe me, go ask your mother.
• If we accept time for what it is, how it flows and how we flow with it, I doubt very much that we would continue wasting loads of it by constantly checking our watches.
• Where we are now is where a lifetime's worth of steps have taken us.
• You can make a child believe a lot of things. Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny...just about anything really, except love. You cannot make a child believe you love him if you don't.
• Children know when they're loved. It's when you grow up that you're more easily fooled.
• As the body rots, so does the cage that traps us in our worldly concerns. When my legs became too weak to carry my body, I stopped pacing with worry. When my fingers became twisted, I stopped pointing blame. When I lost my sight, I stopped seeing illusions. It may be dark in the pot that I am simmering in, but I can see more clearly than I have ever seen in my life.
• My dear, you might be surprised at how much happiness you can find in the pages of the shortest of love stories. Unlike penises, their length truly does not count. (LOL)

As for reading printed material versus e-books, I'm surprised to enjoy both equally. I used to have apprehensions about Kindle (was afraid it'd be uncomfortable for my eyes). OK naman pala. The thing I love most: I can carry 20 plus books in one iPad, how convenient! Plus there's an instant dictionary app for words I do not understand. I don't think I'll give up on the printed versions though. I'm open to trying everything new, but I'm still old-school in a lot of ways. That's just me.

HAVE FUN

Here's what I shared with my dear colleagues on our last day at the network...

Follow your fear
Prepare don't plan
Do what you say
Say what you mean
Know what you don't know
Don't hold yourself to other people's standards 
Own a pet
Call your parents
Create a comfortable living space
Be happy for other people
Cultivate friendships
Stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves
Understand what realistic expectations are
Don't lie
Get to know your gut and then listen to it
Say you're sorry before you're too embarrassed to
Always wear clean underwear
Be on time
Be nice to receptionists
Appreciate other people's talents
Identify people who don't have your best interests in mind
People will disappoint you
People will amaze you
People will inspire you
Overlisten 
You will disappoint people
You will amaze people
You will inspire people
Don't drink too much alcohol
Remember that the old lady who's taking forever in line is someone's grandma
Be curious
Ask questions
Give yourself a break
Have truthful conversations with yourself
Think about your day in the shower
Reflect on your day before you fall asleep
Reward yourself from time to time
Have a good clean joke at the ready
Have a good dirty joke at the ready
Silence can be golden
Have someone you admire evaluate your handshake
Be humbly confident
Smell good
Don't let the highs be too high, so the lows aren't too low
Get to know you
Learn to like you
Let people love you
No one does you better than you
Want what you have and you'll have what you want
Lead with justice and judge with mercy
Don't let your mouth overload your rear


--"But mostly, have a really fun time"
Emmy Award-Winning Actor Eric Stonestreet

RETIRING AT 35

I'm retiring in a few weeks, at age 35.

For the first time in my professional career, I'll have the chance to enjoy a month-long (or more?) vacation. The longest I've gone on VL since after college is only two weeks. So I'm really looking forward to the long break.

As I mentioned in my past entries, this is my 35th birthday gift to me: freedom!

Freedom to:

1. Wake up to no-alarm clock days
2. Attend morning yoga sessions (without worrying that I'll be late for work)
3. Run all I want
4. Read all I want (lots of books in line)
5. Nap when I want to
6. Take long hot showers
7. Spend time with my family (My parents and sister are scheduled to come home soon!)
8. Spend time with my nieces
9. Maybe even bring / fetch my niece S to /from school (I'd love that!)
10. Spend time with my relatives (Balikbayans by September!)
11. Meet up with friends
12. Practice my make-up skills
13. De-clutter the condo
14. Pack for SG
15. Organize a garage sale
16. Try out simple, budget recipes
17. Organize files
18. Do photo shoots with my Hubby
19. Plan out the next chapter of our lives
20. Enjoy DVD marathons
21. Watch films at the cinema for free (Yey, free!)
22. Walk around the city (Confession: I haven't seen all of Manila. What a shame!)
23. Volunteer for charity work
24. If I have extra money, maybe enroll in more fashion / hair / makeup workshops
25. Do nothing

The list excites me! But I have to admit, the no-more-payday reality is haunting me. But I know I / we will survive. Sandali lang naman. Hindi naman ito forever. We've saved a bit, of course. But we don't plan to drain the "Singapore Dream fund" dry.

This is where our childless by choice stance comes in handy. No child will go hungry with our decision to "retire" now, nang sabay. If ever, kami lang ang magugutom. Hahaha! (Thank God our families have pledged to feed us pag nagkagipitan. LOL.)

So how do I plan to survive the no-payday-for-awhile reality? I've been reading "simplifying your life" articles. And I'm actually inspired to try the ideas! Operative word: try. My recent ukay-ukay success may have been the first step towards...zen. Hmmm...

Sharing with you ideas to Simplify Your Life, from ZenHabits.net:

The Short List
For the cynics who say that the list below is too long, there are really only two steps to simplifying:

1. Identify what’s most important to you.
2. Eliminate everything else.

Of course, that’s not terribly useful unless you can see how to apply that to different areas of your life, so I present to you the Long List.

The Long List
There can be no step-by-step guide to simplifying your life, but I’ve compiled an incomplete list of ideas that should help anyone trying to find the simple life. Not every tip will work for you — choose the ones that appeal and apply to your life.

One important note: this list will be criticized for being too complicated, especially as it provides a bunch of links. Don’t stress out about all of that. Just choose one at a time, and focus on that. When you’re done with that, focus on the next thing.

1. Make a list of your top 4-5 important things. What’s most important to you? What do you value most? What 4-5 things do you most want to do in your life? Simplifying starts with these priorities, as you are trying to make room in your life so you have more time for these things.
2. Check out their website for the complete "Long List"

HAVE FAITH, NOT FEAR

Yes, the headlines bother me -- "Singapore tightens rules for hiring foreigners." But they can't scare me off. No one said the road would be easy. We just need to keep our seat belts on (plus helmets and butt cushions?) for the rough road ahead. "Have faith, not fear."

In times like these, I'm inspired by more lessons from extraordinary lives:

• You're gonna have trouble doing a lot of things in life, but they can be done. If you say "I can't," that means there's no solution, you've given up, you've quit. But if you're "having trouble," that means that even though you may not know at the time how to solve the problem, you know there's a way - you're just having trouble. Let's figure it out. -- Matthew McConaughey, Actor, Director, and Creator of the j.k. livin Foundation
• Don't give up. Fatigue, discomfort, discouragement are merely symptoms of effort. You quit, you fail. -- Morgan Freeman, Academy Award-Winning Actor
• You can't figure out what you want to do from the sidelines. You need to jump into the pond and splash around to see what the water feels like. -- Ina Garten, Bestselling Cookbook Author and Television Host
• If you have a strong desire and passion to do something, even when the smart advice is encouraging you to downgrade your expectations, I say don't listen. -- Davis Guggenheim, Academy Award-Winning Film Director and Producer
• Have faith, not fear. Faith not just in myself but in something larger. It was this faith that allowed us to push through, without being stymied by potential consequences or paralyzed by what-ifs. -- Wes Moore, Entrepreneur, Bestselling Author, and Youth Advocate

ARE YOU OK WITH "JUST-OK"?

In her new book "Marriage Confidential", Pamela Haag examines the growing trend of 'semi-happy' married life. If you're coupled up - or want to be - you've got to read this. -- page 192, Glamour, May 2011.

Excerpts from the magazine interview...

Glamour: Why did you decide to write this book?

Pamela Haag: I was drawn to it by the marriages that I saw every day, including my own. I'm married to a great guy, and he's a wonderful husband. But nonetheless, over the years, I haven't felt totally fulfilled by marriage. So I conducted a survey of almost 2,000 people and found that many of them felt the same way.

Glamour: Is that the "semi-happy marriage"?

Pamela Haag: Yes. It's not that the marriage is terrible, with people who are arguing or miserable. But they're stuck in an ambivalent stage... "Are you going to get any better, or is this it?" That's the soul of the semi-happy question: Is this all there is?

Glamour: So how does one avoid falling into a semi-happy rut?

Pamela Haag: It's more about how you live in a marriage than whom you choose. I think people in happy marriages live like they're on vacation all the time, in the sense that they're paying attention to each other and trying to have some fun. Marriage should be enjoyable rather than just hard work.

---

I can't agree on this line enough: I think people in happy marriages live like they're on vacation all the time, in the sense that they're paying attention to each other and trying to have some fun.

For more of my two cents worth on the topic, you may read the following blog entries: (1) Making Marriage Work; (2) Life Partner; (3) Stay Silly.

I say - never settle when settling down.

Wishing every one lots of love, love, love!

DARE TO MAKE THE LEAP

Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.

-- John Wayne

I'm currently enjoying Katie Couric's "The Best Advice I Ever Got." It was serendipitous how the book found me, how I found the book. I think it'll be instrumental in the major life events of the coming days. *wink*

From the cover --

What was the tipping point for Malcolm Gladwell? What unscripted event made Meryl Streep who she is? How did Mario Batali cook up his recipe for success? In this inspiration-packed book, Katie Couric reports from the front lines of the worlds of politics, entertainment, sports, philantropy, the arts and business -- distilling the ingenious hard-won insights of leaders and visionaries, who tell us all how to take chances, follow our passions, cope with criticism, and, perhaps most important, commit to something greater than ourselves.

Delightful, empowering and moving, The Best Advice I Ever Got is the perfect book for anyone who is thinking about the future, contemplating taking a risk, or daring to make a leap into the great unknown. This book is for all of us, young or old, who want to see how today's best and brightest got it right, got it wrong, and came out on top.

LOVE LETTER FROM THE DEAD

I hope you don't find this entry morbid but death's hanging on my head...

A dear uncle died this week. And I just finished reading The Time Traveler's Wife (was so moved that I even watched the film for the second time).

A letter to be opened in the event of my death

December 10, 2006

Dearest Clare,

If you are reading this, I am probably dead...

Clare, I want to tell you, again, I love you. Our love has been the thread through the labyrinth, the net under the high-wire walker, the only real thing in this strange life of mine that I could ever trust. Tonight I feel that my love for you has more density in this world that I do, myself: as though it could linger on after me and surrounded you, keep you, hold you.

Please, Clare. When I am dead. Stop waiting and be free. Of me -- put me deep inside you and then go out in the world and live. Love the world and yourself in it, move through it as though it offers no resistance, as though the world is your natural element.

After my mom died she ate my father up completely. She would have hated it. Every minute of his life since then has been marked by her absence, every action has lacked dimension because she is not there to measure against. And when I was young I didn't understand, but now, I know, how absence can be present, like a damaged nerve, like a dark bird. If I had to live on without you I know I could not do it. But I hope, I have this vision of you walking unencumbered, with your shining hair in the sun. I have not seen this with my eyes, but only with my imagination, that makes pictures, that always wanted to paint you, shining; but I hope that this vision will be true, anyway.

We will see each other again, Clare. Until then, live, fully, present in the world, which is so beautiful.

It's dark, now, and I am very tired. I love you, always. Time is nothing.

Henry

-- excerpts of Henry's letter to Clare, "The Time Traveler's Wife"

Made me cry.

BAGUIO WEEKEND

"Let there be spaces in your togetherness."

-- poet Kahlil Gibran

Last weekend's Baguio trip was a classic example of "space in our togetherness." Hubby attended a photography workshop at the BenCab Museum; while I did Me Time -- reading, sleeping, food tripping and having a massage*. Together, we went up to Baguio but had our individual day skeds. We'd meet up for dinner (or sometimes after dinner) and talk about each other's day. Saya!

Above: The BenCab Museum

Km 6, Asin Road, Baguio

(Approximately 15 minutes away from the City.)

Hubby's photography workshop location.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Baguio's my hometown (my Dad's from there;

it's where I spent my childhood summers;

our family visits at least once a year)

but it was my first time in this part of Baguio.

Above: Soaked myself with art

while hubby attended the photography workshop.

The museum houses four floors of amazing works!

Above: one of BenCab's masterpieces

BenCab, a master of contemporary Philippine art,

is among the country's National Artists.

Above: one of the Contemporary Art galleries

Above: Bulols of all shapes and sizes!

Above: Too bad Bulol couldn't join this trip.

He had a tattoo appointment in Manila that weekend (seriously).

Above: Cafe Sabel

at the Ben Cab, Museum

This is where I spent a lot of time

reading, eating and surfing the net.

Above: My daily breakfast view from Cafe Sabel.

Good morning, world!

Above: BenCab's property is huge!

Above: We saw at least two

authentic century-old Ifugao Huts

within BenCab's property.

This is different from Tam-Awan Village.

I promise to find time to blog about our Tam-Awan overnight date,

circa 2005.

Above: See the hut in the middle of the pond?

That's my other reading spot.

Above: My precious reading spot.

Imagine reading alone

with the sound of the mini waterfalls as your only audio.

HEAVEN!

Book for this trip: Time Traveler's Wife

by Audrey Niffenegger

Loved the film. I knew the book would be better.

Above: My frontal view while reading

Above: Same view minus the hut's interiors.

Above: View to my left while reading.

Above: My favorite from Cafe Sabel's menu

-- the spicy tuyo pasta with toasted pan de sal.

Around Php120.

Above: Mushroom omelette with

toasted pan de sal.

Around Php120.

Above: Fresh green salad with strawberry vinaigrette;

pork and chicken adobo with mountain rice.

Around Php250.

Wish: bed & breakfast option

within the BenCab Museum,

but they offer none.

We stayed near a budget lodging house.

All the other workshop attendees stayed there too.

Above: Our Baguio Must

Cafe by the Ruins

It's actually not "by the ruins" anymore though.

There's a hotel right beside it now.

Above: Loved the squash soup!

Above: Baguio Bagnet to die for!

Above: Crispy Tapa meal

*My Baguio Me Time massage: one-hour Swedish session at the mall, Php650, with shower and sauna. Very good, very Baguio. During our past trips, we've tried non-mall spas and the therapists are always very thorough.

RUNNER'S WORLD

"The beauty of running is that it's so simple, so adaptable, and so positive. Any healthy person can run. (And many others, despite assorted physical and mental handicaps, have also succeeded.) You learned to walk when you were a child, right? Well, running is nothing more than glorified walking. You can do it.

I'm currently loving J's book.

You might not run fast. And you might not run far. But you can do it. And even if you have to mix walking with your running, you'll lose weight, lower your blood pressure, reduce the stress of daily life, and feel a surge of energy.

And those are only the physical benefits. The mental benefits include lowered risk of depression and increased creativity. Many runners take up the sport because they want to lose a few pounds or decrease their inherited risks of heart disease. They continue running for the way it clears their minds every day.

Running is the ultimate individual sport. It doesn't matter how fast or slow you are relative to anyone else. You set your own pace and you measure your own progress. You can't lose this race because you're not running against anyone else. You're only running against yourself, and as long as you are running, you are winning."

-- Amby Burfoot

Executive Editor, Runner's World Magazine