Health Stuff: POP Pilates for Begginers

One of my Fave youtube video courtesy of Cassey.

**POP Pilates for Beginners - Total Body Workout

Cassey takes you through a Pilates workout for beginners. You will work your abs, your legs, and your arms. Principles such as proper breathing, posture, and form are explained in a very detailed manner, so this is also a great exercise video for people trying to understand Pilates basics.

Health Stuff: POP Pilates

I'm getting gaga over this craze- Pilates. It's been 2 weeks that I'm trying this out and I'm loving it!

According to (http://pop-pilates.net/pilates-inspirations/what-is-pilates/),

Pilates is an exercise system that is focused on building strength without bulk, improving flexibility and agility, and helping to prevent injury. It was developed in the 1920s by Joseph H. Pilates, who was a physical trainer and creator of Pilates exercise system. It involves a series of controlled movements that engage both your body and mind. Pilates utilizes specifically designed exercise apparatus and is supervised by highly trained teachers. It was initially created for rehabilitation, but was later adopted by dancers and athletes and is now utilized by millions. The primary focus is on awareness of the spine, proper breathing, core strength and flexibility. The outcome of Pilates training is a balanced body, which is strong, and lean, flat stomach, balanced legs, and a strong back. Health and fitness is what POP Studio is all about and achieving amazing results like this with Pilates is now possible.

Results from Pilates can be amazing & POP Pilates has so many benefits, and body-changing results might be just around the corner for you too. When POP Pilates workouts are combined with a healthy eating plan your results from Pilates are rapidly accelerated. POP Pilates gets you results fast and all you need to do is to take the first step by calling one of our friendly team members today.

We are often asked what style of Pilates we do, our style is often described as fitness Pilates. POP Pilates is perfect for the following:

•Toning the entire body

•Targeting problem areas

•Increased core stability

•General fitness

•Pre pregnancy workout

•Reduce back & neck pain

•Strengthening

•Reducing injuries

•Sport specific conditioning

•Increased bone density

•Safe form of exercise

 •And much more!

Wow! look at that, just the benefits that I need packed into one!

My First Apple

My first apple? Yup my first apple gadget: iPhone 3g.

Though a second hand but still one of my "best buy" for this year. For only PHP5000, I had it in good condition. There were few cracks at the back but no worries since it came with an otter box casing which was a plus. Now I can surf whenever I want (thanks to unlisurf), blog whatever I want and take a picture wherever I want.

  

Let this be a start of my apple collection. Yes, it is expensive but a good investment. I'm still a long way to go with my next apple but for now let me have a real one first.

Hulagway: Sweet Side of Papa

This was taken last February 6, 2012 during my Mama's 50th birthday celebration. Papa suddenly went ahead and scribbled on the balloons. His scribbles started to say I LOVE U.

Isn't he sweet?

Celebration of New Beginnings!

The long wait is finally over! My brother did it!

It tormented us for almost 4 days but I was confident that God would bless my brother and give him his desire to pass this examination. He really held to his faith up to the last minute when he took it. Novenas, prayed to the Holy Rosary, accomplished the "Bisita Iglesia" you name it and he did it.

July 26, 2 days before my Dady's birthday at around 9pm that's when my brother received a text message from someone who's not really close to him congratulating him for passing the boards. Well at first we thought that we really need to see it first for ourselves before even rejoicing and true to his words as I searched for my brother's name in google.com, it's no longer just his facebook page where you can view his name but it's already reflected on inquirer.net, philstar and other major newspaper in the country. It was just right there 320. Egar, Gephrim Klive Alpas. Yay! it was such a surreal moment. Thank you Lord for this wonderful blessing!

Bonus: Last July 28, my ponggingging, wobot, Dady Pong, Dady, my dady just turned 27 years old. Time flies really fast but I loved every minute of it, spent together with this one of a kind man. Good thing he loved his gift, Rick Riordan's Chronicles of Kane but too bad I was not able to avail its Book 2.

Note: Notice the decorations placed on the wall? I'm proud to say that those were my creations, my first-try of making a paper crane (I have 43 cranes, 957 more to go for my wish..hehehe) "snow flakes" and letter cut outs!

"I can be wherever I wanna be"- Cinderella

How does it feel building one's itinerary costing more than a thousand bucks but you yourself had never been? US,EUROPE,ASIA,UAE.SOUTH AMERICA, CARRIBEAN,name it I cater them all plus I've been doing it over and over again for the past 3 years already as a TRAVEL SALES SPECIALIST (far out from my original title RMT)

Well, honestly it's fulfilling, building one's dream vacation and even giving them discounts! Someone will ask you how can I reach Florence from Venice? what's the best hotel to stay close to Time Square/Broadway, Disneyworld/Disneyland,Eiffel Tower, Spanish Steps, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, can I walk from here to here? and the deadliest question; where and when's the most affordable time to travel!! (paet..)..name it and we have to search and answer no matter what..not everybody's given a chance to be trusted by a stranger to do such things and even giving out their CREDIT CARD NUMBERS to complete their reservation..

Mind you staying in this business made me realize that indeed (as what CINDERELLA said) "I can be whatever I wanna be" and YES "I can be wherever I wanna be". Life opportunities are limitless. It's up to you how to explore and enjoy every single moment of it. Isn't it exciting?Lifetime is not enough for me to travel all places in this world so we'll just start with my FIVE FAVE (dreamed, hoped for) PLACES in the world. These are my ultimate destinations I really want to visit. (hope my husband to be can read this..hehehe)

1. PARIS

Attractions to visit: Eiffel Tower, Louvre

2.BELIZE

Must-visit: "The Blue Hole"

3. SANTORINI

Must-watch: Their SUNSET, landscape

4. ROME/Vatican City   

Must-visit: St. Peter's Basilica, Colosseum

Must-try : Pasta!

5. Japan

Must-see: "Sakura"

Reposted from Multiply, written last 02.11.10

Hulagway- Mga Paslit sa Luneta

These shots were taken last December 24, 2012 right before Christmas eve and during the MMFF Parade of Stars in Luneta.

It really captured the innocence and free-spirited nature of children. Though I didn't have any idea who they were but what I know is they'll grow up remembering this specific moment in their life wherein they played as if there was no tomorrow and tried out whatever they want to try (walking alone in the park not knowing where to go, sit wherever they felt comfortable unminding the noisy crowd).

PRC Maritime Board Exam- My Brother's Quest

Today marks the first day of my brother's 2-day board examination.

Flash back : Year 2007, it was his first time to visit Cebu City with the goal of getting a college degree. He recently took the examination to become a priest but God has a different plan for him hence he opted to try a different path.

I just can't remember as to where I heard the scholarship program offered by Southwestern University for first year Maritime students but it certainly caught our attention. Though hesitant at first because my brother will be part of a pioneering batch for this program but it sounded a great deal. It will be an in-house arrangement wherein all students will stay in one roof to ensure that they were monitored 24/7.

Yup, it was as a "PMA'ish" kind of training but with them their payment scheme was different since they need to pay their tuition fees once they started their OJT. But it was not an ordinary OJT since all of them boarded an international vessel as promised during their orientation. That promise indeed came into reality. My brother was on board MV Panamax for 1 year. As what I know this cargo vessel carried grains within Asia (Indonesia, India) and Middle East (Oman). Though their still on training my brother received an allowance of USD405 per month which was divided between his school fees, personal allowance and the allocation for my parents. Here's a picture of him on board MV Panamax.

This was not an easy path. Though we're in the same city but I seldom saw him during his college days. Everytime he would go out they still need to get hold of a gate pass, and this "free time" will last not even for a day. But the person who really felt lonely with Beboy's school arrangement at the same time proud that he succeeded in getting his college degree despite all odds is our mother, Mama.

Looking back at this picture that I took during his graduation day one can really feel the mixed emotions of Mama. Well who would not, he's been a loving son and thoughtful brother which is rare nowadays.

While I'm writing this blog Beboy just arrived from his board examination with all smiles since most items that he studied during his review came out. Hopefully same thing will happen tomorrow.

I know God will always bless those who believes in Him and I know my brother, Beboy is one of them and I strongly believe that with God's grace and guidance he will surely pass this examination.

To God be the Glory!



DIY 3-Day Trip to Puerto Princesa 2011

Special thanks to Cebu Pacific Peso Fare for making this trip possible!
Great job google.com for giving us thorough information and travel tips!

6 of us managed to book this trip with Cebu Pac's web fare. Tickets were booked last mid June hence we still have 5 months to save for this trip.

Though we're all first timers in Palawan we successfully planned out this trip well just like a pro!

Ka trip: Ericson, Macky, Haizel, Anthony and Chuckie
Lodging: Lola Itangs
Budget: 5K per traveler and guts! heheh
Dates: November 13-15, 2011

Day 1

Checked in at Lola Itang Pension House

This place looks deceiving from the outside but wait till you see your accommodation. It's surprisingly more than what we expected to get with the 800/per night rate we spent.

Thanks to Ate Meggy for making our stay as pleasant and homy as possible and of course to Mimi for recommending this place.

At 1pm we went straight to Honda Bay for our Island Hopping. Unlike other tourists we did not book any package for this tour. We opted to simply take a tricycle for only PHP120 each roundtrip and divide the banca rental which was PHP1500. That will make it PHP500 per couple.

Do the math, instead of paying PHP1200 per person we just spent PHP310 each.

Travel tip: Better grab a snack such as instant noodles and eat on the boat. This would really save you time and money

We just need to rent our own snorkeling gear and waterproof camera case then off we go to Honda Bay. We chose 3 Islands to visit namely; Pambato Reef, Snake Island and Pandan Island.

Pambato Reef

PS: Entrance is for free. Be sure not to step on any corals.

Fact: Human skin is acidic which would shunt the growth of the corals.

It's here where I first tried snorkeling but opted to just use the goggles without the mouthpiece..heheh. It's sad to say that most of the corals were already dead and only a few fishes can be seen.

Snake Island

A kilo of "isda sa bato" was priced at PHP250 plus PHP95 for a kilo of rice and PHP50 for our nipa cottage. We bought an extra 2 cans of sardines and corned beef worth PHP87.

Next stop was Pandan Island. We paid PHP50 each for the entrance fee then off we go tried the fish feeding activity. Unfortunately I got stung by a sea urchin but the show must go on and still all smiles during our underwater pics.

After a quick rest from Honda Bay, we visited the Palawan Baywalk. We thought it was called Boulevard? Err Boardwalk? But it was just simply Baywalk. Main highlight was it's peacock shaped lights, a lot of people were strolling, sitting on the bench and some were even riding this "mini tricyle" and bicycle.

How can I forget my first taste of Palawan's Viet's delicacy called Chao Long, a noodle dish. BTW its real name is "pho". To sum it up, we did not like it except for Dady since he was the only who finished his beef Chaolong and french breads.

Day 2

Before heading to the Underground River, Ralph suggested that we visit the Ugong Cave wherein we can try Spelunking for only PHP200 per person and Zip Line Activities. Me, my Dad, Haizel and Anthony opted not to take the Zip Line on our way back. 

It was called Ugong cave 'coz literally stalactites found inside would produce a sound once their tapped, hence the name Ugong.

Our tour guide whom I forgot the name was as energetic and camera freak as she can be. She shared that she was once a "kainginero" and turned into a tour guide when the cave was developed as a tourist spot. As expected this was the part of our trip where we had the most number of pictures, bruises and possibly wounds.

'twas worth the sweat, aching muscles when we reached the "summit".. breathtaking view indeed..

Now it's time to go down..haha..this was no easy task since the trek we need to take was so steep..too bad for Dady. He wanted to just use the zipline but I hesitated...

Off we go to our next stop, The Underground River. Our banca was scheduled at 2:30PM and it was around 12pm that we left Ugong Cave, we then took our sumptuous lunch buffet at Taraw Beach Resort. 

PS: Try Palawan's Exotic delicacy, Tamilok.. Honestly, I prefer to have this than Chaolong. It tasted like softened squid..two thumbs up!

Considered as the main event of this trip, we visited one of the 7 Wonders of the World; The Puerto Princesa Underground River. In here we got no choice but to get a trip package worth PHP1,500 per person. It covered our van rent with it's tour guide, DENR fees, banca rental and lunch buffet. We just shelled out an extra PHP100 per person as a token to Ralph, our friendly tour guide and another PHP100 per person for the bancero.

It was raining on our way there but surprisingly sun shined as soon as we hopped on our boat going to the cave. Waves were bigger than I expected.

My first impression was "Pictures of this place that I saw online were indeed real!". Turquoise ocean surrounded by lush greenery, magnificent mountains, Monkeys (of all sizes) and "bayawaks" greeted us and a charming rainforest with a wooded walk way that lead us to our next ride.

Here's a picture of the group before entering the cave.

The bancero was a bonus too...we're just giggling with his antique jokes e.g "Please do not open your mouth when you look up. If it's cold, then its holy water whereas if its hot then its gotta be a holy s**t."

Here are some pictures taken inside the cave.

 

Lesson learned: Always bring a reliable and fully charged camera during trips. DSLR shots would have been better.

That's the gang after conquering one of the world's wonder. Now, 6 more to go..hahaha.

That's not all, on our way home we're able to visit the Buenavista View Deck and "The Beach" look a like movie location. As to Ralph its small caves were rich in "nido" from the balinsasayaw birds.

We all thought we're done for that day but wait there's more! To touchbase with Palawan's history we had a quick stop to the Vietnamese Village, "VietVille" as what they call it.

That PHP1500 tour package was really worth it! We've experienced several activities, saw a lot of sights unique to Palawan!

Day 3

Tired as we were, we did manage to wake up at 6am the next day. Our flight was scheduled at 11am but I was determined to explore the rest of the city in less than 4 hours. I have an idea where I wanted to go but as to its distance from where we we're, 'nada'.

Since we're on a budget trip, we opted to rent a tricyle instead of getting another tour package which would roughly cost PHP1200. We'll it was a smart move because we only paid PHP500 so that's PHP500 divided by 6,that's just PHP84 each.

With a limited time we visited several sites namely; Crocodile Farm, a glimpse of Mitra Farm (we just peeked from its gate..hahaha), Baker's Hill, Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral(Blue Church) and Plaza Cuartel. The latter was just walking distance from Lola Itang's.

At exactly 10am we're off to the airport. One can just imagine how tired we were but still with all smiles as we left this paradise called "Puerto Princesa".