My Gym Comeback

Today, after a long lull…I was back at my old gym.  Yes, it is old.  I signed up at this gym two children ago.  My last visit at this gym was about 3 years ago?  It was when my old trainer, Zaldy, left the gym and I felt sad not having his chatty self around and no one was bugging me to go to the gym anymore.

I think the gym needs a facelift badly.  The equipments are still functional and fairly in good condition but new equipments would be wonderful.  The dumbbells’ rubber cover has holes in it.  The ceiling has a hole that appears to be under construction.

Why did I go to the gym today?  Is it to criticize the gym’s condition or to work out?  Of course it was to lose some fats from my pregnancy that I have failed to lose 7 months after my youngest son’s birth. 

Just between you and me…should I come across a newer gym nearby with better facilities and equipments that offers a reasonable membership price…I will be there tomorrow!   For now…let me drag myself to my old gym.

My first entrecote experience

I was both excited and anxious at the same time to be flying to Paris again after a long time of being amiss and missing work as well.  I was on bed rest for the most part of 2010 due to my delicate pregnancy and have been on maternity leave, annual leave and sick leave afterwards.  It was a welcome flight for me since I was going to fly with a colleague of the same nationality and I was planning to go to Chateau de Versailles too.

The morning that we arrived in Paris the weather was lovely.  It was about 18 degrees Centigrade and the sun was waving “hello” to me.  When we got to the hotel we got our room keys and per diem then made plans with other crew members.  My colleague Cyrill and I decided early on to go to Versailles on the second day of our stay.  Our Chief Purser on the other hand, made an open invitation to our team members for a steak dinner “French style” on the night of our arrival.  I was sold!  I love steak!  I especially love the New York steaks for the honest-to-goodness taste and tenderness.  I never got to try french steaks so this was a first for me.

We proceeded to our respective rooms and snored the morning away.   Cyrill went out in the afternoon to buy her toilettries while I spent the whole morning reading about Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI.

We all met at the lobby of our hotel at 6pm and since there were 7 of us, we took two separate cabs.  One cab had three passengers and the other had four passengers.  We didn’t know that in Paris they charge an extra 3Euros if four passengers would take the cab.  Weird but true.  The two groups had the restaurant’s name and address written on the hotel paper that the concierge gave.  There was no way of knowing if the driver was taking us for a ride but we were relieved to have reached the place which costed us 17Euros including the extra passenger fare.

the corner where the entrecote restaurant sits 

 

 

When we got there it was about half past six in the evening and the restaurant was still closed!  The front desk at the hotel thought it would have been open by then.  We took the opportunity to take photos in front of the restaurant and to chit chat a little.

photo op

 

It opened at 7pm and by then there was a long queue outside of the restaurant and I was just happy that our group was first in line. 

 

Le Relais de Venise son entrecote

 

I was surprised to find out that the only thing they served were steaks steaks steaks!!! The waitress just had to ask each and everyone how they wanted their steak done.  Neat! 

 

our waitress expertly plating the entrecote and frittes

the plates of entrecote and french fries to be pre-plated

  

my first entrecote

Yummm… They served me this plate at first and refilled it with another serving when I was done with it. I really thought it was bottomless! (wishful thinking…haha!)  The steak was tender and the sauce was like nothing I’ve tasted before. It seems like it was a mustard sauce of some kind that appeared somewhat like green curry.  It was good, though I’m not used to having that kind of sauce on my steak, it was a welcome change.  I guess I also have to get used to steaks being pre-cut.  I actually don’t like it when they pre-cut the steaks at Smith and Wollensky.  I prefer my steak in one piece but we can’t have everything in life…so it’s all good.

ice cream filled profiteroles with chocolate syrup and almond shavings

 A french meal is always capped with a french dessert.

a beautiful building a block away from the restaurant

the restaurant is near Le Palais des Congres de Paris

Surely I will be back for more!!!  See you soon Le Relais de Venise! 

Brotherly Hug

I miss my brother and he knows that. I have not seen him for more than 8 years now and I would always stop to wonder how he is every now and then.

Last night I was up till it was past midnight +8GMT and I was happy that I did stay up. He popped a message in my Yahoo Messenger and we had a chat.

I told him how I am on sick leave now and the doctor said that it could be stress related due to a lot of factors. Whatever it is…I am staying on ground for now. Since I just gave birth it could be post-partum and my gynecologist prescribed that I stop all medications, change my diet and avoid meat specifically beef and chicken. (what about pork? I really don’t know…but that’s what she said!) Exercise 3 times a week. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Try to be in bed by 10 pm. And I will be rejuvinated. Oh, and she added that I drink St. John’s wort or chamomile tea and pray.

Now there is a big problem there when it comes to being in bed early. If I fly the red eye flights then that means I will be working from 10pm-12noon the next day! Good thing my specialist recommended that I take a week or two weeks of sick leave to get well and feel better. I have been walking like a zombie these past few days and doing things in auto-pilot. That spells D-A-N-G-E-R to me!

Now back to my brother. My brother, being the cool, easy-going guy that he is told me. “My prescription is: watch two funny movies everyday, Take naps in between, download funny clips on youtube, eat the food that you love and pray.

Wow! That sounds like a good plan and I certainly think it would work! Of course I would combine my gynecologist’s prescription with his. I believe that laughter is still the best medicine and of course the most important thing which is common to the two prescriptions. Now I can’t wait to rehab myself!

God Almighty I am claiming healing on my whole body and mind. By the stipes of Jesus I am healed. I know that this is not your plan for me or for my body. Give me the strength to follow the diet that is right for my body and guide me to do what is fit for me. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to chat with my brother and feel his warm hug. Thank You for your love Lord. I rest in the fact that you have plans for me not to harm me. Protect me with the precious blood of Jesus. In Jesus’ name. Amen

On King Asa

Good morning world! Or should I say good afternoon? I had a very weird dream last night of being in a beauty class. It was nice to see my old friend in college though even if it was just in my dream.

I had lower back pains as I woke up and I tried to do some stretching exercises that my physical therapist taught me. Then I proceeded to read the Bible. I have been trying to read the story of Asa in 2 Chronicles 15-16 while I was on the plane last night on the way back here to my second home. I was led to read that story…I don’t know why. So I decided to read the whole story this afternoon when I woke up.

In the beginning of his reign as a king of Judah, Asa was a delight in God’s eyes. He took down all the statues, the high places and the incense altars in every town in Judah. He also commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to obey his laws and commands. (2 Chronicles 15:2-5)

When he went into battle he would seek the Lord first and ask for his hand to help them to win the war and God did answer his prayers.

What I noticed is that when King Asa relied on his own judgement by the time of his last year of reign, he failed God. He took matters in his own hands and forgot to seek God first. He sent silver and gold out of treasuries of the Lord’s temple (which as to my own understanding is like dethroning God and stealing from God) and sending it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram as a bribe (which is a sin) so that Ben-Hadad will break his treaty with Baasha the king of Israel just so that they will stop getting into war with King Asa.

He got sick and never sought God’s help but only from the physicians (2 Chronicles 16:12)

That got me thinking! I am at fault too in seeking my physicians more than I seek God for help to heal me. I know that God will heal me. He is in control of everything. Thank You Lord for your revelation to me today.

Lord, my heavenly Father, forgive me if I at one point trusted on my own understanding and tried to take things into my own hands. Thank You for guiding me and revealing Your word to me. I repent for my unfaihfulness. I want to follow You and delight myself in You. Keep my paths straight O Lord that I will never leave Your side. Heal me O Lord, my body, my mind and my spirit. Shower me with joy, peace, comfort, strength, endurance, clarity of mind, patience, love and understanding. Protect me with the precious blood of Jesus. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen

back to blogging

After being on bed rest for more than six months due to a delicate pregnancy I am back to blogging.  Now I have more things to blog about.  I also have decided to keep this account..  I have started blogging a few years back and many things have changed.  The reason why I have decided to keep this blog alive is for others to see the difference that is evident in me and it will be shown through my blogs too.

Today I am in my homebase and feeling rainy like the weather. I just started to try my wings and give Paris a go but I failed.  After being away from work for more than 1 year due to pregnancy and almost 2 months due to sick leave…I have failed.

Tomorrow I will see my doctor and declare sick leave once more.  I never thought that old age paired with having a baby would affect my well-being so much. I am just not ready to spread my wings yet.  Maybe next month…let’s see.

the best lip gloss

in my criteria a lip gloss has to have that original minty flavor that most of us are familiar of, must not make lips too glossy and too heavy. it has to have that right sheer or shine. i have found that in that tiny stick which i accidentally picked up in a grocery in Anchorage. it’s called burt’s bees lipstick. the thing that sealed the deal is the variety of color.

i was so pleasantly surprised to have found a lipgloss that has that minty taste and just the right amount of weight on your lips. it makes it shiny but with the right amount of shimmer and the colors are just wonderful. as a flight attendand it is very handy and reliable too. the dryness of the air inflight simply ruins my skin and my lips too. i am so thankful that i have discovered this wonderful product. i just apply my original lipstick for full blast color and use my burt’s bees lipstick for retouch. viola! ready for my close-up smile!

Dino and Toni closed for summer

tough luck! i arrived sheraton roma in rome on a monday. took a nap and met up with my colleague. we were meaning to go to warner village for a pizza in this very good pizzeria. it was a good thing that we asked the front desk before heading out. we learned that the pizzeria is closed on mondays. bummer!

we ended up ordering food by the pool at the hotel. the ambience was really nice. the weather was perfect and the company of my colleague was comforting. the red wine that i ordered was not that great it costs €12 raim merlot. the iceberg and rocket salad €12 didn’t have any rockets in it. i had to ask the waiter for the missing rockets. i thought it flew off to outerspace.

for my main course i ordered for pasta with tuna, olives and capers €18. it was nothing great and i was disappointed. all in all my rating would be a 4 out of 10. it was better than nothing i would say at least we satisfied our hunger pangs.

the next day we headed to the vatican to eat at Dino and Toni along Via Leone IV. We missed our stop and just trusted my nose. we asked around and found out after 30 minutes of walking that we were trodding the wrong path the whole time! it was not actually totally wrong but it would take us an hour and hundreds of steps if we would continue to tread the path that we were taking. it was totally my fault i admit. so i decided to hail a cab. the cab costs €10 and i was willing to pay it fully but my colleagues were insistent that we all share the cost.

finally we stopped in front of Dino and Toni…it was CLOSED!!! bugger!!! i took a closer look and it was just my luck that it was closed from August 04 – August 30 for the summer holidays. i was really looking forward to having that home cooked italian meal at dino and toni. they don’t have a menu but the antipasti and pasta dishes that they will serve you will surely satisfy your discerning palate. the host is very accomodating as well even if he could not speak much english. the last time i was there they even offered us limoncello for free after the meal. we took pictures and tried to know each other thru little english and sign language. i was really really disappointed that it was closed. after all the walking and wasted time that we had to go through we ended up eating at the fast food next door. the food was lousy.

after looking at bags at via condotti (the main street where all the high end name brands are housed) snapping some pictures at the spanish steps, eating local gelato and buying a bag and wallet, we headed for our shuttle bus. while walking in via del corso (the main street) we were looking for the pizzeria where we were planning to get some pizza for take away. it was fucking closed!

all in all the experience was highly frustrating if not for the company of my funny and patient colleagues. hopefully the pizzeria at the warner village is open tonight where we will have our dinner…i’m keeping my fingers and my legs crossed.

to veneers or not to veneers

I have always thought that cosmetic surgery is not for me…as long as it is not necessary for me to do it then I wouldn’t do it.  Unfortunately, I was not blessed with a good set of teeth.  When I had my permanent teeth, my two front teeth got chipped off right in the middle…right where they met. A filling, root canal and two crowns after I was confronted with a decision that would change my point of view…somehow.

Winter of 2007 I was persistently bothered by a slight pain on my left front tooth. I tried to withstand the pain but it was annoying like a fly that wouldn’t go away.  I finally decided to confront my problem head on. I have decided that since I am going to get my root canal redone…why not have my crowns changed as well? If I was going to have my crowns changed…why not go the extra mile and have veneers instead? You see, it’s a vicious cycle that will never stop. It’s just like love and addiction…(they’re both bad by the way) you know you want to see the person, once you see the person and you kissed, might as well kiss torridly since you’re gonna kiss that person anyway…why not go all the way instead? Hahaha! What a comparison!

Anyway, I had my veneers done and if you were to ask me…I won’t do it if I had a perfectly normal teeth. Yes, even if your teeth is yellowish or a little bit crooked. The experience was very unpleasant. It was taxing and ate up a lot of my time. I also felt violated when the dentist filed my teeth ruthlessly swift as if it was just a task that he had to do. The weirdest feeling of all was when your whole mouth is still sedated with anesthesia and they would ask you to spit…how on earth could you spit when you can’t even feel your freaking lips? Go figure.

Just to give you a better picture as to how time consuming it was let me give you a rough time line:

1^st visit – you will have “the talk” with the wife of the dentist selling you the services/products. The dentist will give you a face analysis and take a picture of your teeth for evaluation.

2^nd visit – you would have decided by then since you came back and go on with the process and choose the plan and service that you prefer. They will cast a mold of your existing teeth.

3^rd visit – root canal or other services had to be done before removing all the previous crowns and filing of the teeth.

4^th visit – removing of crowns and filing of the teeth. Contouring of the gums (if needed).  Attachment of temporary veneers.

5^th visit – I forgot what I did but I remember they polished my temp veneers too.

6^th visit – attachment of the permanent veneers.

7^th visit – adjustment of the permanent veneers. Requested to redo my tooth it was too short.

8^th visit – adjustment of veneers and attachment of redone tooth.

9^th visit – adjustment of veneers due to teeth sensitivity.

And so on and so forth. I thought the sensitivity has gone down. I only felt it when it was really cold in the plane and there was a whiff of cold air while my mouth was open. I do feel better and feel more confident when I smile…but if I was given a choice, nothing beats genuine teeth.

 

closing time

i will be closing this blog soon. will transfer everything to http://milescat.blogspot.com

please check for updated blogs there. i won’t be updating this one anymore.

thanks for coming!

miles

gone fishing

it was a beautiful sunny day and the warmth of the sun kissed my skin. the day was not to be spent in front of the computer i said to myself. my days have been rolling along like the spinning wheel of a clock. it just kept on spinning around and around. passing the same way over and over again. i figured i was bored. time to do something exciting.

 

i asked my friend the mouse if she can go fishing with me. this mouse was a very busy mouse. day in and day out she would go out to find food. she was interested and so we went.

 

the first lake that we visited was huge…it boasted of pristine waters and well manicured bermuda grass with lush gardens. the flowers were oh so colorful and humongous. it was nothing like you’ve ever seen before. i am positive though that i have been here before. it was so familiar. the smell of the freshly cut grass and the sound of the artificial waterfalls at the farthest side of the lake. i remember being so fond of this lake fishing, swimming to beat the heat or just hanging out up until a migrating alligator spoiled the fun.  

 

this time i have to be wary. i tested the water it was lukewarm. it was very inviting. though i wasn’t quite sure if the water was really lukewarm at the deepest end or is it all throughout the lake.  i went into the water and felt that it was cold below. i could not stand the coldness so i had to get out of the water without catching a fish.

 

i was a bit hungry by noontime. i have decided that if by mid afternoon i have not caught any fish, i will head to this not so well known river. that would be my last resort. there i am certain that i will catch some fish. eventhough that river did not appear pleasant, i am sure that fish is bountiful there. at least i have a last resort i thought to myself.

 

mouse in tow we headed for this not-so-grand-looking lake but very inviting and homey at the same time. we felt at home right away and the prospects of catching a fish was great. the mouse didn’t want any fish…she just wanted to watch me go for the kill. i normally catch fish with my bear hands or rather claws but this time i also brought my fishing rod along with me.

 

i was getting ready to go into the water when i stopped halfway. i could not possibly dive into the water. what in the world was i doing? i’m a cat! cats don’t do that! but this lake had a hypnotizing effect on me. i was sinking little by little…inch by inch. i had to fight the overpowering effect that this lake has on me. i have to ask for help…

 

wait…mouse! mouse! mouse? why are you applauding me and cheering at me even? gosh! mouse thought i was a dog! mouse thought i was just waving at her! oh my gosh! what should i do?! cat’s can’t swim!!! when i said i catch fish with my barehands, i catch fish in the fish bowl not here! when i almost touched the bottom of the lake i paddled hard with my claws out and finally reached the surface again.

 

i was catching my breath when i was lying on the carabao grass with mouse.

 

“why didn’t you save me or asked for help?” i asked mouse

 

“you looked good inside the lake. i thought you were lovin’ it.” replied the mouse

 

it was evening already. empty-handed i was not hungry anymore. i couldn’t muster enough energy to go to the river. the experience that i had in that second lake was too much to handle. i love fish but no thanks…i’ll stick with fancy feast.