Starting on a new book...

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES, Sue Monk Kidd
Since I'm done with FRENCH WOMEN DON'T GET FAT, I'm already starting on a new book. (Since one of my '06 resolutions is to read more books.)
I saw the review of this novel in a magazine last year, and the writer said it's quite a good read. About a motherless girl who finds the true meaning of family, and finds love in the most unexpected places. I've gotten through the first few chapters, and I don't think this book will disappoint.

Happy birthday bro!

My bro Anthony turned 22 on February 25. We had a day-after dinner celebration at Grilla near our place. I do not have praises for this restaurant. The food is quite blah, the serving portions are (unfairly) small for the price. But still we had a good time. When the whole family's together, we always do.

Happy birthday Ant!

Something new...

Hon and I changed our usual Saturday date this weekend. Instead of going to Sharngri-la, we went to Greenbelt 3 for dinner and a flick. We tried a new restaurant called My Little Kitchen. We both loved the place, with its warm ambiance, perfect lighting and Michael Buble singing in the background.

We ordered healthy. Salad and soup for starters, and fish for the main course. Hon had salmon, and I had tuna steak.

cleopatra's ceasar salad & mushroom soup

blackened tuna steak wth mashed potatoes

salmon samurai

The food was heavenly! And it's always nice to try something new.

After our great meal, we ended it with ice cream at Cold Rock. Hon had low-fat Chocolate and low-fat Strawberry with Nestle Crunch. Mine was ten times yummier - Real Coffee and Aussie Vanilla with Reese Peanut Butter Cup on a huge sugar cone. How yummy can it get? :)

After a satisfying dinner, off we went to snuggle in the dark comfy cinema and watched MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA. A wonderful film to cap the night. I simply adore Ken Watanabe, remembering his excellent acting in The Last Samurai, far better than Tom Cruise. Those who have read the book might say it was better (which is always the case). But hon and I loved the movie. And many people will, too, I'm sure.

French women don't get fat!

I'm done reading FRENCH WOMEN DON'T GET FAT, and if you are into healthy living and lifestyle, I suggest you grab your own copy. You'll learn a lot!

Here are some tips that I have learned through this book, which I believe are not difficult to apply to my (or any other girl's) daily life.

French women typically think about good things to eat. Other women typically worry about bad things to eat.

French women eat smaller portions of more things. Other women eat larger portions of fewer things.

French women eat more vegetables, a lot more fruit, love bread and would never consider a life without carbs. (to fully enjoy food, and life, moderation is the key!)

French women don't often weight themselves, preferring to keep track with their hands, eyes and clothing - the "zipper syndrome."

French women eat three meals a day, and never let themselves be hungry.

French women drink water ALL DAY LONG.

French women walk everywhere they can, and use the stairs as often as possible.

French women adore fashion, and dress to take out the garbage. (you never know!)

French women love to laugh, eat for pleasure, DON'T DIET and DON'T GET FAT.

I think moderation is the secret, and compensating for a simple pleasure taken earlier, like a rich dessert. C'est la vie.

And...French women DON'T LIKE GOING TO THE GYM. Why? Read on...

"It strikes me as a particularly American paradox: a nation with so many great athletes and a fascination for sports and such a mania for exercise technology, and they somehow avoid the easy, unheroic path to fitness. Sometimes I believe these (exercise) machines are a vestige of Puritanism: instruments of public self-flagellation to make up for private sins of couch sitting and overeating. French women happily don't suffer from those extremes of good and evil. Wellness is a grey area of balance."

Such a great book, well-written and loaded with lessons! Props to Mireille Guiliano and the ways of the French!

Interesting!

Just finished reading two books:

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, Lauren Weisberger
Such a fun read. Makes you conscious about fashion. My mind instantly ran through the clothes I own and I wondered if I dress okay. hehehe... Designer clothes and stick-thin women. And a horrible boss. Light and funny, if you just wanna read something for kicks.

VERONIKA DECIDES TO DIE, Paulo Coelho
Makes you wonder about your own sanity. Makes you value life and be thankful for each waking day. All about awareness of life. Great book!

Now I'm into...

FRENCH WOMEN DON'T GET FAT, Mireille Guiliano
I'm almost halfway, and it's really interesting! The ultimate diet book, only it's not. The book teaches you how to balance pleasurable eating and weighing just right. Sounds impossible? Not for a French woman. So why not learn their ways?

Over the weekend, my sweetheart and I watched...

THE PINK PANTHER!
Ang ganda! Super funny! I just love Steve Martin. He's such a natural. We watched FUN WITH DICK AND JANE too. But I think Steve Martin is so much better than Jim Carrey. This flick is so much funer! :)

Crazy about...

KITTEN HEELS!
After my sweetheart got me a pair (my very first!) for Valentine's Day, I got addicted! I just gotta get me MORE! So you'll find me scouting shops for the next few months to look for some really nice pairs to bring home.
I LOVE what my beau got me. From CELINE. Ganda! And they got really nice stuff right now, so if I were you, shopping na! :)

My besty's cool new do!

Met up with my besty for lunch today, and i simply adore her new do. And I admire her courage to have her long flowing tresses cropped. Which I know is not an easy feat. She looks younger (not that she looks old of course) and extra happy. And even if the dumb waiter pissed us off, we enjoyed lunch...as always. :) Love ya bespren!

On resolutions and junking junk...

Quite funny to talk about resolutions in February. But I’ve been meaning to post this a month ago. Just couldn’t find the time.

Resolutions for 2006: read more books. Swear less. Clean more. Drink more water. Clean my car more often. No more procrastinating. Balance saving and spending. Become a gym buff. Learn to bake.

I’m not really sure if I can keep these resolutions. But there is one thing I’ve already got going for 2 months. NO TO JUNK FOOD!

Yes, I’ve been junk-free for the past 60 days. Well, not totally I guess. About 85% or so. I’ve totally quit on all kinds of chips: potato, corn, cheese. I limited myself to an occasional bag of popcorn (salt, no butter) and an order of nachos a month. I have successfully convinced myself that McDonald’s is the enemy.

Just recently, I quit on rich cakes, chocolate and ice cream, replacing them with Nestle 0% Fat Yogurt and BTIC Sugar Free. (Don’t worry. I will still give in to temptation once in a while. After all, I AM human.) I haven’t hit the gym in two weeks because of my pimples, so I quit on rice and am back to wheat bread and pasta. Breakfast and dinner subsist on bran flakes or low fat wheat cereal and soy milk. Hopefully, I will be committed to this. I can slip once in a while, but I have to stay on track. My reward: the pleasure of always fitting comfortably into my size 26-27 jeans. :)


For all those trying to go on a diet, try replacing your usual cup of rice with a bowl of bran flakes/low-fat wheat flakes during breakfast and dinner. With non-fat milk or soymilk (for the lactose intolerant) and some fruit. It works, at least for me. I no longer have those “bloated” days. And if you can, say no to Doritos, Cheetos, Pringles, Lays, Jack N Jill, Granny Goose, etc.

Like smokers trying to quit the habit, there will be days when you just gotta have a bag of chips or go insane. Here’s a technique: wait a few minutes, do something else, then grab some low-fat yogurt in a yummy flavor. Instead of downing 250 calories, you just had less than a hundred. :)

Here’s a tip I read in a magazine: if the food you’re about to take makes you feel guilty, then don’t eat it. Let your guilt be your guide. It’s not easy to stay healthy, but it’s so much better to be ALWAYS TRYING TO BE than NOT CARING AT ALL.