To Fitness: Five Minutes with Shaun T

Same old story every year; I am adding extra pounds during the holidays due to Christmas parties, dinners and chocolates as gifts. And to top it up, I can't seem to find time to do my usual workout at the gym because of how busy December can be. Anyway, 10 minutes ago, I have stumbled on this awesome Doctor Oz clip featuring Shaun T. Well, he always invites Shaun T on the show to demo the latter's new exercise routines - Insanity and Focus T 25. And this year, he invited him again to introduce a five minute routine that everyone can do. Well, if you can't follow him, you have no excuse because we have Tanya, the modifier, who can modify the moves and still gives you the result the routine promises. I just hoped I stumbled on this clip earlier but nothing is too late. We still have a week of non-stop gatherings and festive eating and doing this routine will lessen the blow. If one can't do an hour in the gym; or the 60 minutes Insanity Programme or the Focus T 25 - 25 minutes workout, I am so sure all of us have five minutes to spare for this routine. I even spend more than 5 minutes to soap my body and exfoliate. Just 5 minutes to burn fats - I think I can and you can too.  I guess, I have found my morning exercise routine. Thanks Shaun T. 

My Day and The Year Ahead

A little late don't you think? HAHAHA, I think I have the right to be late in writing this post, 'cause I just had one heck of a Birthday Celebration even if I had to do it differently. Being it on Good Friday and as a Catholic, I couldn't really have all of my friends gathered to eat a feast, drink booze and sing our hearts out with the Magic Sing (yeah, that's the Filipino way of celebration). I may have just posted on Facebook about that day being greater than being it my birthday.  So instead of all the lovely noise, I have found peace and joy in the loudest of silence with spending it with God. It was a different way but still a fulfilling way.

During the season of Lent, I had the time to think things through and contemplate. And I have found what I think would make my year ahead a fulfilling journey. It's finding that direction and purpose and while in the process of looking, enjoying the journey with lessons that could make me a stronger person. I think others would say that I think way too much; that I need to let everything flow and enjoy the ride. I am not saying I will not enjoy life, but I think finding that direction (I think I am a bit late on realizing this) is necessary for us to live our lives fully. So this year will be focused on that alone, finding that direction - trying everything new, testing the waters, pushing the limits until I finally found that. It may take days, months or even years, but I owe it to the Lord to actually living the life He gave and serving my purpose He planned.

The journey is long but with all of my friends and the experiences, I think I will enjoy it.

Gotta go and live my life now.. Cheer! 

The Year That Was

In a few hours’ time I will be joining the late twenties club. And that means a lot to me because being 25 had taught me a lot of things about myself and about life. So here goes this entry about what the past twelve months have been. As I enter and start another year on earth, here is the list that will make me remember the year that was.

Independence
That year blessed me with the opportunity to live on my own. From the mundane task of washing the laundry and ironing them after to cooking my own food to the complex tasks of dealing with problems on my own first – definitely that year helped me become better (mostly) domestically and emotionally.
 

Pain
For all the people who know me personally, you would know that the past year is the hardest year yet for me and my family. I have lost a part of me and during those times, it felt like being stabbed in the heart and slowly twisting the knife to deepen it. I  couldn’t really believe that I have survived that painful moment. However, being with my family, we’ve survived but with the longing that would forever be with us.  Pain is temporary, but longing is permanent. Mommy I miss you every single day.

Passion

This year I have found a deep connection with my emotions. It is with passion that I learned to like enthusiastically. I can’t believe I will be this fond of Zumba. I can’t believe I will love baking that much to the point of having it as stress-buster. I can’t believe that feeling passionately would mean happiness. Passion makes things more interesting. It’s the hots that you feel whenever you do something.

Happiness
this is a tricky one. There are a couple of posts of mine about being happy. For the past months, it’s a struggle for me to answer the question ‘ Are you happy?’. It’s a simple yet loaded question.  When I was asked about it, it took me a (long) moment to answer it. And my answer was ‘I am not sure’.  I am happy if I make others happy, but am I happy on my own? Dang, I can’t believe it took me so long to realize that but I guess it’s part of the QLC process and that I am starting to get my sh*t together. And right now, I hold on to a saying about happiness that goes:

Happiness is not a goal. It is a by-product of a life well-lived.

Love

Ah! Love. It is during this year that I learned that I can love deeply but still in the progress of letting people in. My mom has taught me how to love from how she loved us unconditionally. With that, it was etched in our system to be honest on loving. It was during this year that I learned that even though I know how to love deeply, deciding to give it away is hard for me. Let’s not go into detail about it, but, knowing that made me think of the things that I need to do.  

Life

This year made me realize that life is short. Most of the points here are the outcome of missing Mom but with it comes a lesson I needed to learn. That life is short and that I need to live it. I may be happy when others are happy, but, I owe it to myself to live my life. And that starts with loving myself – taking good care of my health; being involved with what brings me joy; feeding my mind with new things and learnings; and  feeding my spirit with a personal connection with God. After all, happiness can be attained with a life well-lived.

So there goes the list of the main points for my being.  My journey continues with the lessons my past year have instilled in me. Happy twenty something to me! Another year means another year to be happy and to continue living. 

Let's end this entry with a photo.HAHA

Cheers! 

Coming Now: Behind the Scenes

Calling my friend to start editing the photos. Yes! Due to his dual profession of being in the field and being a photographer, I know it would take loooooooong for him to start (not even finish) the professional editing of my photographs in the shoot we did last January. But then again, the raw photos are great enough to be published. I will be a bit rebellious and post another one today.

He may have no time to edit the photos, but he has the time to create a video of the behind the scenes footage. From make-up to poses - or at least that's the concept. We didn't have a crew to do everything for us, just me and him. Well, not a full footage of course, we still needed to do the shoot. But some head shots and eye shots (if there is a word like that) for the video. Thanks Yven for the shoot and the video. Next time, it will be better.  

Hope you enjoy. And let us know what you think about it.

ANA shoot BTS from Yven Aldover on Vimeo.

You like his work? Send me a message and I will surely hook you up with him for incredible photoshoot and BTS. He does events too. 

Related Post:  http://anapink18.blogspot.sg/2014/01/coming-soon.html

Throwback: Sweet 18

I still remember the whole event – the event I chose over a brand new car. Yes, back then I was asked if instead of a Debutante Party, I would be given a shiny car as a gift. For others, it may have been an easy choice, of course the car; but for me, I chose an experience, a once in a lifetime experience (come on! we only get to be eighteen once) I had a wonderful Debutante Party. Besides, I was only a train ride away from UST (from end to end), why would I drive a car during the peak hours and say hello to heavy flow of traffic every day? Also, I would not cut down my allowance for what? Gasoline and parking? Nah, I’d rather take the train every day and eat a feast with buddies. Also, the main reason why I chose the party was because it was a dream of my sister and my mother for me to have one. My sister kinda pushed the idea to me since hers was overshadowed by the christening of our baby brother and that it was my mother’s dream to give her daughter a grand debutante party. So with that alone, I chose the wonderful party – one of the best memories of my teenage years I must say.

It was a simple party – really. A very typical debutante party I must say; me wearing a gown; invited close friends and classmates; good feast; eighteen gifts, shots and dance. But for me, it was something extraordinary, a success. Because I was the main organizer of the whole party – the menu, the invitations, the guestlist, the programme, the place and even the gown – my design came to life. At that time, when everything fell into place, I knew that I can be an event organizer (for those who are interested with my service, you can just drop me an email. HAHA). Anyway, the best thing about it, I saw the love and the sincere smiles from all of my loved ones. I saw the happiness in my mother’s eyes when I was walking towards my “throne” (one of her dreams came true). I saw the love from all the first guys I love (my father and brothers). And finally, I saw how happy my friends were that I turned eighteen. HAHA. One of the perks of being eighteen, booze is legal – my mother was even eyeing me when she saw me with a bottle of Red Wine after the party.

It was an experience to remember. I was a princess for that day – all eyes were on me and my curly hair in that pink dress. What do you think? Was I fabulous? 

Related post: http://anapink18.blogspot.com/2014/02/throwback-rockin-short-hair-08.html

Throwback: Rockin' the short hair '08

Our hair is our crowning glory. The style can make or break your entire look and can definitely make people turn their heads in your direction. You can have red hair and rock it like Hayley Williams or you can have a long and wavy hair and walk sexily like Kim Kardashian. However, when you're a student of a University where there are guidelines on your appearance (hairstyle included) you may need to adhere to the rules unless of course you want to see the Dean and have him explain them again to you. Or simply, you just don't care about your hairstyle and you care more about other things like your grades, the parties, and your buddies. In my case,  I go for the second one -  I just didn't care. So I went for the most functional hairstyle after being bestfriends with my ponytail for three years - the bob cut. The style's short and could be considered as wash & wear. Perfect and functional for people who are busy and don't have time to do the ironing, curling, much more the styling.

So, I would like to ask... Was I rocking the bob cut look?

Since this is a throwback, photos are pixelated (I was using my Motorola V3x back then)

Another throwback: http://anapink18.blogspot.sg/2014/01/throwback-my-alma-mater-and-me.html

Easiest Morning Look

There are moments when you don't have time to do your make-up and your hair before going out in the morning for your brunch with your friends, outdoor activities with your colleagues, or just plain and regular visit to the grocery store for your supplies. And absolutely, you have no time, when you need to wake-up for that event and you just had a great night out the night before - talk about bloodshot eyes; eyebags as big as your shopping bags; and messy hair. But you don't need to show up like a ghost or a zombie when your friends are looking great. Here's the easiest look everyone can pull off to look great and fabulous in a matter of 2 minutes or 3 minutes max. The look is composed of the biggest sunnies you have and the boldest lipstick you own(preferably Red). Your sunnies will hide those bloodshot eyes and your eyebags; and partnering it with the lipstick will give you a sultry look and definitely will complete the look. Your messy hair, leave it messy - it will add up to the sexiness of the look.

So the next time someone invites you for a great morning brunch, try this look and definitely you'll be ready and sexy. Plus, on the photos, you'll probably be the one standing out.

Coming Soon..

Yes! Mission accomplished! After 2 long years of not seeing a dear friend of mine (exclude the time he visited me during my saddest days to date), I finally have met up with him. Not only did we catch up with each other's lives, we actually had some fun with his passion and my frustration. Imagine travelling from North to South, skipping lunch and encountering non stop technical issues; we still pulled off some good stuffs (photos of me). Though we didn't continue with my original concept, thanks to all the delicious food during the holidays, at least we got some good shots. We agreed to have another session this year, may it be when he'll come to Singapore or when I'm back in Manila again. Whenever it will be, I need to get ready for it. 

Here's a sneak peek of the actual outcome of this day. There will be lots more after he finishes the editing as compulsory for a  professionally taken photographs.  

Selfie & Me

Let's start the year with 2013's "Most Overused Word", Selfie (#selfie)

I am very sure that everyone have heard and used this word. But for the benefit of those people who are too busy to be updated with the social networking world, selfie is defined as a picture you take of yourself (commonly with the use of smart phones or webcams). Now,  I am sharing  a fact about myself: I do selfies and I have my reasons of doing so.Unlike others, I seldom share it in the social networking world.Most of the photos are only stored in my phone for future use.

I do selfie when:

• I visit a new place. Do I need to explain why? I believe even before the selfie word was invented, most people are already taking their pictures with the new place they come to visit. A memory, a remembrance. A photo is a way to for us to not only remember the place, but also to share the experience with others. Of course, photos of the place alone is a good way to remember it but with you in a photo with the view as the backdrop makes it more personal. It's like you are telling the world you were there without vandalizing the place. Here's a photo I took when I visited Legoland, Malaysia.

•  It's my birthday. One way for me to cherish being a year older is to take a photo of myself. Here's the photo I took last year. I decided to celebrate my birthday in Manila with family and friends. This photo was actually taken at the airport while waiting for boarding.
  
   

• I like my makeup. I seldom have a perfectly done makeup and when I do, well, I usually take a picture of myself.

• I simply like how I look. I bet most of us have these moments when we think we look our best without the use of makeup. In other words, we are like "glowing". During these moments, I highly encourage for everyone to snap a photo of yourself. Rare moments should be captured. Here's a photo I take when... I really don't know when, as it's a spur of the moment one.

 

These are some of the reasons why I take photos of myself. As you may have noticed, I do it for myself. For boosting my confidence and for remembrance. Whether I share it with the world or keep it to myself, it is for me to decide.

I am sure everyone has reasons for doing it, even posting their photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. And if you are one of those people who gets irritated when their friends do it, kindly keep your comments/reactions to yourself. After all, it's their account and you have the choice to hide them on your timeline, unfollow their twitter account and Instagram account.