‘slow and steady, slow and steady’

Posted on January 31, 2011 by elizavictoria

I found this from this blog I’ve been reading, but I’ll pretend the letter’s addressed to me as well:

Though I don’t consider my lifestyle a diet, I live the way I do because I know that “health” is a never-ending journey. There will be NO point at which I stop striving for health. So I figure, since I’m relatively young, why not learn how to eat in moderation NOW? Why not learn to love exercise and CRAVE it NOW? Why not learn to indulge in healthy ways NOW? That way, when I’m 30, 40, 50, 60, etc., all of that won’t feel anything but completely normal.

The trick is to PLAN for indulgence. PLAN for screw ups. PLAN for lazy days when you don’t feel like working out. If they’re part of the plan from the beginning, you won’t ever feel like you’ve messed up and want to throw in the towel. Because indulgence? Screw ups? Lazy days? Those will never go away. They’re part of life. The key is to figure out how to deal with them in a healthy way. Example: Too lazy to do your scheduled run? Go for a leisurely walk! Craving a piece of a coworker’s surprise birthday cake? Have a piece, but just one.

I used to be a very all or nothing type of girl. If I ate poorly, I was going to do it all day/week/month. Now, I know it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. I can have the cookie. I can skip the workout. I can have one drink. I don’t consider myself a failure, I just figure that I’m handling life and preparing myself for forever. I live by the saying, “Don’t do anything on a ‘diet’ you aren’t prepared to do for the rest of your life.” Slow and steady is the way to go… you’ll be able to live this way forever! You’d never be able to work out every day and only eat 1,200 calories forever.

I hope all of that made sense. Your mantra right now should be slow and steady, slow and steady, slow and steady.

weekend update

Posted on January 30, 2011 by elizavictoria

Busy weekend. Had to wake up at 6 a.m. on my days off, but it’s all for the sake of productivity.

Friday. I was in QC since Thursday night. However, Jaykie had a morning job interview scheduled on Friday in Makati, so we woke up at 6 a.m. I didn’t have to, but I decided to tag along instead of staying in QC because I would end up either sleeping or shopping. (And of course I wanted to show my support to my boyfriend.)

We had a McDo breakfast because none of us had the motor skills to cook at such an ungodly hour. We also brought our running shoes and extra clothes for our planned jog in UP later that afternoon. Then the drive to Makati. We couldn’t find the building, so after going ’round in circles (and one-way streets), we left the car at a paid parking lot, took a taxi, and walked. That morning involved a lot of walking and getting lost. Jaykie did well, which was exciting. We had lunch at Tempura (I had a Kani salad and some sushi), then walked some more, trying to find the paid parking lot. We couldn’t find it. Makati has the shittiest street plans. The people we asked gave us conflicting directions, so in the end, we took a taxi again. That was frustrating, but at least we found the car and it was intact.

We went to UP to cool our heels. Stayed at the HGC tambayan for a bit, then we changed (it was so hard to get out of my jeans in the backseat of a car – I don’t know how the teenagers do it) and went jogging.

It was the eve of Ate VJ’s birthday, so we had a great dinner with Ate Budz and Jael: pasta, palabok, cassava cake. There was fried rice, but I couldn’t touch it due to the blasted diet. Then drinks (the Arbor Mist wines were delicious, and I couldn’t get enough of the mustard-flavored pretzels!) and quality daldalan.

Saturday. Jaykie had class, and I wanted to jog, so we woke up at 6 a.m. again. Another McDo breakfast. I had my jog, went home, washed the dishes from last night, and went to sleep for an hour and a half.

That night we went out for dinner with Jaykie’s family at the Marriott Cafe.

Seafood buffet! It was awesome. I didn’t eat a lot, but I went crazy with the desserts.

Jaykie’s parents and sister, VJ:

Kuya Ben and George:

Hi, Jake!

armin’s birthday bash

Posted on January 27, 2011 by elizavictoria

It’s a fourth-floor partay!

Happy happy birthday Armin!

Pizza! Booze! Videoke!

Cake!

Boss Chito looking unhappy with the bedlam in their office. LOL.

Armin made a mix of Gatorade and vodka, but I can’t have any due to my vodka allergy.

Sadness.

But at least I got a lot of chocolate.

Parteh!

Armin’s costume change. I switched to my phone camera because my camera died from all the awesome.

You wouldn’t want to know what Armin used for boobs. He used two computer mouses! Mice? Oh crap I told you. :-p

More photos at my Facebook account. (Album’s f-locked, though.)

who’s late to the ticker-tape parade?

Posted on January 26, 2011 by elizavictoria

Saw this via Livejournal. Cute!

But I’m a bit sad. My weight is the same as my weight in Jan. 11. So after 15 days I didn’t even lose a pound?

Sad.

ghost girl by lauren beukes

Posted on January 24, 2011 by elizavictoria

Fantasy Magazine » Ghost Girl.

It’s one fast, charming read.

And oh, I just finished editing a new story. Hope I can find a home for it soon.

psf6 lineup revealed

Posted on January 24, 2011 by elizavictoria

From co-editor Kate Aton-Osias’s blog:

After several months of reading (and reading, and reading), intense discussions, emails and follow ups, Nikki and I are pleased to announce the Philippine Speculative Fiction 6 line up (in no particular order):

Alternative Histories by Ian Rosales Casocot

Strange Adventures in Procreation by Andrew Drilon

Lament of the Counselor by Jay Anyong

The Grim Malkin by Vincent Michael Simbulan

A Smell of Mothballs by Mailin Paterno

Ashland by Elyss G. Punsalan

Carpaccio (or, Repentance as a Meat Recipe) by Arlynn Despi

Eternal Winter by Maria Pia Vibar Benosa

From the Book of Names My Mother Did Not Give Me by Christine V. Lao

Hollowbody by Crystal Koo

Offerings to Aman Sinaya by Andrei Tupaz

On Wooden Wings by Paolo Chikiamco

Prisoner 2501 by Philip Corpuz

Resurrection by Victor Ocampo

Simon’s Replica by Dean Alfar

Break in at Batay Street by Francis Gabriel Concepcion

The Big Man by Asterio Gutierrez

The Bookshelves of Mrs. Go by Charles Tan

The Impossible and the R.S.C. Gregorio del Pilar by Alex Osias

The Kiddie Pool by Kenneth Yu

The Storyteller’s Curse by Eliza Victoria

Villainoguing by Joseph Montecillo

For those interested in stats (like me, haha) this year, we have 22 stories total, of which 21 will see their first publication in PSF6. There are 15 guys and 7 gals in the anthology and the story subsets include horror, sci-fi, 2nd world and urban fantasy.

The book is slated to be launched in March. Congrats to my fellow contributors! Can’t wait! :D

three poems by nate pritts

Posted on January 23, 2011 by elizavictoria

EMERGENCY POSTCARD TO A.O.

It’s hard for me to hear over the din
of this living, the racket of oceans
& the gulls overhead. I started to forget
about me & thought maybe
it was for the best. Probably I had my greatest
ever shot already & all that comes next
is some new disappointments. Remind me
again that together is something we can’t
do alone.

—Nate

EMERGENCY POSTCARD TO L.R.

Dandelion stalks populate the yard, reaching
in rusty light, & who knows why
their fuzzy heads are vacant? I can see
the dew on the grass from where I’m sitting
just like I can hear you in your voice.
Who would question my desire
to run outside & feel the dangerous AM
dampness or to risk it all to tell you about it?

—Nate

EMERGENCY POSTCARD TO J.F.

All these birds wake me up just like always
though the me that they sing to is new every day
& relieved to find out a body doesn’t have to do
everything. I’m trying to believe it. I’ve only
ever wanted a reason to slow down, an angle to navigate
that made me feel worth it. Yesterday, I drove
the wrong way from you; soon I’ll jump back
& try the sequence again – you & me lost
together & looking for landmarks that tell you what’s
right: dragonfly light, summer bees exhausted
in the window, that wherever we are is okay.

—Nate

Source.

gratitude

Posted on January 23, 2011 by elizavictoria

Thank you to Elyss for making my day, haha!

Fiction writer Elyss Punsalan runs the monthly podcast site Pakinggan Pilipinas.

And of course you can always read “Reunion” here. :)

hotel stay

Posted on January 23, 2011 by elizavictoria

It was a joint birthday celebration for Jaykie’s nephew, sisters, and aunt. Friday was spent buying gifts and eating and worrying about the rain, while Saturday was spent inside the Marriott.

It was still me and the camera’s honeymoon phase, so I just basically took a picture of everything.

Late lunch at Passion. Jaykie’s mom’s best friend (her best friend since grade school) knew one of my officemates. Small world.

Jaykie and I arrived late because he had class, so after everyone went out to have coffee, we just camwhored. (What else?)

Birthday boy George to me: “I like your new camera.”

Click!

Thumb wrestling and rock-paper-scissors:

Tigasin ng Marriott. Charot.

Ohaiii.

We turned in early after having a heavy dinner. (We planned to watch a movie and/or have a drink at the bar. Oh well.)

We got up early on Sunday to sample the breakfast buffet at Marriott Cafe. Yummy. I wanted to take photos of the food but I got shy. So I took a picture of the boyfriend instead.

* * *

On Saturday, before we headed to the hotel, I had a good jog around the UP Acad Oval, my second since the year started. To ensure that I would do this every week (I live in Makati now, so I can really do this only once every week), I left my running shoes at Jaykie’s condo. I’ll just use an old pair while in Makati.

My legs still hurt, by the way.

new camera

Posted on January 21, 2011 by elizavictoria

Olympus Tough 3000. I’ve read some less than stellar reviews online, but damn it, it’s cheap. Waterproof, shockproof, and freeze-proof at less than PhP 14k. Takes videos of HD quality.

Image quality (with and without flash):