happy hollyween

i repeat, HAPPY HOLLYWEEN!!! (& happy anniversary to my last post!)

oh what a crazy crazy long weekend it has been… & so while this blog might be a li’l too late, i’ll do my best to make it just worth the wait. (whoa! the poet in me!) well it’s ONLY BEEN a week ago anyway since halloween! 😛 exactly a year ago too since i had something (or more like some time) to write in here! fun fact is, it was also about that craziest day of the week or even the year that was… THAT halloweenternational affair to remember! (ok at least now we know there’s this 1 occasion i’ll be blogging about for sure every year, guys!  ourlalaland subscribers… thanks for still being there!! hahahaha!)

anyhow, the theme we crazies (aka: my highschool friends & i, THE CRAZIEST FRIENDS EVERRR) chose for our halloween party this year was something like “hollywood meets halloween” or in short, “hollyween!!!” from there, we pre-selected a few foreign movie titles to draw out our characters & costumes from (literally & figuratively.) we thought that we could use a little more challenge & creativity this time around as everyone was getting more competitive already in winning THE BEST IN COSTUME AWARD! i don’t know… it must be the bragging rights? or the mere satisfaction of having to beat these mean boys & girls?! ‘coz seriously, it couldn’t be (just) the meager amount of cash price from our party pot money that’s probably just enough to cover for the costume expenses anyway! but yeah, that could come in handy… 😀 well for whatever it’s worth, we were all just up for it. all for the spirit of fun & craziness… SO.BRING.IT.ON!!!!!

now let’s see if you guys could guess who each 1 of us tried to portray that night, or which movie we actually came from. 😉 i now present THE HOLLYWOOD HALLOWEEN STARS! (try not to look at the caption first before guessing, ok? no cheating!!!)

L-R: (top) rocky balboa, wednesday addams, marty mcfly (back to the future), bella swan, geisha, optimus prime
(bottom) gandalf, kim jong il, michael jackson, the mummy, 101 dalmatian, captain hook, edward scissorhands, xena, damien (omen), professor x & assistant, indiana jones, tracy turnblad (hairspray)

i thought u’d never guess!! oh wait… someone’s late!

did you guess harry potter?! (ooh… gandalf says his movie was still way better!)

haha! don’t you just love some action?! more fight scenes up next!

i dunno about this last photo, but i see gandalf & xena still fighting over something right there! MEAN KIDS!

now tell me, aren’t we just real actors now?! here’s more proof:

marty mcfly in action! ♥

ok a little trivia for those who love some entertainment news… marty mcfly is getting married to bella swan this coming saturday!! 11.10.12 save the date!!! woot!

optimus prime falls for a geisha! ♥

oh yeah! transformers & the last samurai stars just got married barely a month ago… 10.19.12 wit weew!! they have a cute kitty named yuri!

i wonder who’s getting hitched next…

could it be doggie & the mummy?!?

i wonder… 😉 woof woof!!!

here are more “odd combinations” (just referring to our characters of course) who are actually married couples in real life! ♥♥♥

pirate x, tracy sisscorhands, wednesday addams-balboa
what the heck!!!

well aside from our love-teams though, may i just present to you our true inspirations for dressing up the way we did!?!

thanks to that girl in the middle for coming up with these peg shots! chay!

better luck next time to us, guys… hehehe!

these 4 crazies truly deserved to win (& be named!) bwahahaha!!!

L-R: (top) APRIL as the 101 Dalmatian, JAY as Edward Scissorhands (grand hollyweeners 2012!!!)
(bottom) JESSICA as Michael Jackson in THIS IS IT, BERT as Gandalf in LORD OF THE RINGS (runners up)

here were the votes:

the actual tally

well how could you not let this dawg win?!? clap clap clap!!!

congratulations for winning again, piaoee! (oh i really just call her that… it’s been my pet name for her even before she became 1… joking!) aw aw aw!!!

…& jay!  definitely our most improved from last year’s!! from jacob to edward – scissorhands!!! (from the words of margot the pirate 😉 )

so unassuming, he even made the drum roll before his own name was announced! good job, jay-cob no more!

each of them won PhP1,000 cold cash (& of course this much exposure, among other perks like bragging rights & unlimited trash-talking for a year!)

while these 2 runners up each won PhP500!

wait, i just really have to show these!!

MJess is it!!!

…& that’s it for my blog. 🙂 hope you enjoyed, guys!

’til my next… (next halloween?!)

****

lo♥e, pea☮e, & sünshine ☼

lala garcia

halloweenternational affair to remember

finally, it was the time of the year again when my highschool friends & i, THE CRAZIEST FRIENDS EVERRR, could celebrate just being our outrageous selves (& not feel odd 1 bit about it! hehe!)

“halloween for us just wasn’t a scary thought at all… it’s the thought that we wouldn’t be able to dress up & party together for halloween that probably scares us the most!!!” ok i just came up with that quote! 😛

well just to prove my point on how serious we all really are about this once-a-year occasion… we had several meetings about it & 1 i even blogged about last 10.24, across the sweet seas! 😉 moreover, we even put up an event page on facebook with this invite below:

props to lia for this bootiful artwork & for hosting the actual party!

still not convinved enough?! ok let me cut to the chase now & present to you OUR CANDIDATES FOR THE BEST IN COSTUME AWARDS:

thanks for these epic portraits, chuck & margot!

i hope i didn’t miss anybody else in costume then… 🙂

so who’s your bet?! if you weren’t there, the winners were determined by our votes for 1 girl & 1 boy… & before i reveal who they were, here are just some more outrageous “photo booth” pics & scenes while we partied!!!

L: bert with DA GIRLS gone bad-ly mixed up! R: DA BOYS, as usual!

oops! i did miss 1 candidate… aki!!! why didn’t you have a portrait, anyway?!? oh well, at least you were in the group shots! 🙂

L-R: leslie, trina, me, jean, jessamine, mae, margot, april, aki, lia, & banx (missing jessica, chay, gen, tabs, mel, etc.)

L-R: bert, uli, chino, richard, cho, eric, jt, jp, vinny, jay, alj, ed, & drago (without jeff yet & chuck, our photog… missing chico, another photog friend, ppao, voltz, & a whole lot more!)

fine i think that’s enough stalling!!!

NOW THE AWARDEES of a whopping PhP700 each for THE BEST IN HALLOWEEN INTERNATIONAL COSTUME TITLES ARE:

april & eric!!! who0hoO!!!!! congratulations again, hallowinners! enjoy your prize money!

so what were you again here, april?!? seriously! (don’t worry, your title & moolah will NOT be forfeited even if you admit that you were more of a SUPERNATURAL character than an INTERNATIONAL one, hehehe! pea☮e!!!)

as posted by margot: “left photo: Ruffa Gutierrez; right photo: Lupa Gutierrez both equally gorgeous! spot the difference! (hahaha!)”

just really had to post that 1 too! nice research, gottie! 😉

well whatever… let’s party again, girlfwends! (really glad you showered off you’re dirteh bodeh foundation afterwards, april! my feather duster just couldn’t do half the job!)

speak no evil, see no evil, hear no evil!!!

tryin’ out my feather duster with some closest guyfwends this time… haha!

french maid it is!!!

well, hope you all had some good CLEAN FUN partying too last HALLOWEEN… & then cleaning-up as well afterwards! 😉 CHEERS!!!

lo♥e, pea☮e, & sünshine ☼

lala garcia

the lighter, the better

see for yourself… 😉

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

my DARK PAST & my BRIGHT PRESENT, after i've seen the LIGHT!!!

08.30.11 – yes, that grayed-out girl is the OLD ME! (scary!!!) i was then at MY HEAVIEST WEIGHT of 119 lbs or 54 kilos already!!! my oh my! as for my skin, well it wasn’t GRAY like that of course, but even if it was already fairly lighter than most asians, it surely wasn’t yet as glowing white as it has become today… now wouldn’t you agree?! 😀

for that, i must now give some due credit to my GlutaMAX family, who came up with this totally brilliant antioxidant & slimming product in one & introduced it to me! it obviously works wonders & i can be proud i was among the first ones to have proven it! 😛 THANK YOU SO MUCH, brothahs & sistahs!

all of the dozen boxes (with 10 capsules in each) that i consumed in the past 2 months, 1-3x a day!

also, i would have to say THANK YOU, margottie (my bestfriend in highschool who took the unintentional “before pic” above, uploaded it on facebook, & even tagged me… which i just had to immediately untag, sorry!) ‘coz if not for such glaring truth though, i wouldn’t have taken it upon myself to really make it A THING OF THE PAST! yay!!! hehe! i just knew this time would (or should) come anyway when i could just look back at it & make it a part of my “success story” for all the world wide web to see! 😉 THANK GOD as well!

in my blog last 09.02, in highs and in lows, i’ve actually made mention of such pic already, but just chickened out when i was about to post it!!! so instead, i chose to just explicitly describe it in words such as this:

 me… wearing a pair of EXTRA SMALL-sized black jogging pants & green MEDIUM-sized dri-fit top… LOVE HANDLES SHOWING! my hair all tied up & bangs clipped away from my big round face, looking down from a few steps above to the camera – really NOT a good angle to be taken a photo in! standing side-by-side with me are 3 other girlfwends, wearing some loose clothing instead… what catches your eyes again? MY LOVE HANDLES!!!

haha! by the way, that’s my husband in the pic too! he’s been really just BEHIND me all the way… 🙂 (THANK YOU, darling!)

10.30.11 – even after MISSING 5 consecutive satudays (or practically the whole month of october’s worth) of circuit training, with still no conscious effort to eat right, I NOW ONLY WEIGH 108 lbs or 49 kilos!!! that’s 11 lbs or 5 kilos lighter (& well, “skin tones fairer”) IN JUST 2 MONTHS!!!

almost couldn't believe it myself... i had to weigh in & out of the scale for AT LEAST 3x!

well, believe it or not… that’s now up to YOU!!! 😛

BUT don’t just take my word for it, try it & see it for yourself too!!! hahahaha! (now that really sounds like i’m from a tv ad or infomercial!)

anyhow, while i’m at it already… guess i might as well share here with you all some of the effects that i’ve personally experienced (or didn’t experience) as i started taking the product. (oh you can also refer back to my related blogs last 09.16, testing the waters, & 09.30, the ripple effect, just so you could maybe appreciate my progress even more!) now here goes:

1. i didn’t have to suffer from any lbm or loose bowel movement!!! whew!

2. i still got to enjoy eating the same food i love since it didn’t affect my appetite.

3. i had more energy as it’s meant to increase metabolism with its l-carnatine.

4. each day that i got more active (& sweaty,) was when i actually felt more rejuvenated & detoxified with it’s glutathione.

5. i also felt much healthier & protected by it’s vitamin c or sodium ascorbate.

6. i enjoyed drinking more water, & thus also peed a lot more often (but hey, that was no bother at all!)

7. even when i couldn’t join VNF in several saturdays of circuit training, i knew my day-to-day activities & the regular movements i made still helped tremendously with burning the extra calories & shrinking my unwanted fats (& it could only be because of the tonalin cla it had in it… i read it’s the most effective fat burner in europe & in the u.s.a.)

8. overall, i felt more youthful & vibrant just knowing i was getting all these health & aesthetic benefits, without giving up food!!!

so really, on the LIGHTER & brighter side of it all, the 2 full months i’ve spent for this weight loss project is now officially over & i can say how it’s truly been a SUCCESS! hurrah!!! 😀 for whatever it’s worth, i could now fit back into my nice old tiny clothes, move around more easily, & ultimately look & feel better about myself again… just in time for my husband’s arrival (last night ;)) & of course tonight, our HALLOWEEN COSTUME PARTY!!! so again, until then…

lo♥e, pea☮e, & sünshine ☼

lala garcia

across the sweet seas

so this is how it feels to be a wife of an ofw (Overseas Filipino Worker.)

ok i’m exaggerating!!! 😛

for sure, this feeling of longing is NOTHING compared to what most wives have when their husbands actually go overseas for months, or even YEARS, unable to come home sweet home just to earn a better living for their family. i know of a lot indeed… & i do know that even if you’re not 1 of them, & i don’t know you personally, but YOU ARE FILIPINO… then still, you just gotta have at least 1 close relative or friend who truly is in that kind of situation; either he/she is an ofw himself/herself, or is the partner who just got left behind.

jeff in europe, me in manila… how far is that?!

somehow, having my husband away for (ok JUST) a couple of weeks to enjoy his incentive trip from work, allowed me to get a glimpse of what kind of emotional, psychological, & even physical challenges they ought to be going through & could also be dealing with. although of course, i could only really speak for myself… myself being a housewife (or as mah fwend april defined in her own words: “an educated homemaker!” why thank you, fwend!!! that title actually makes me feel like i’m still such a career woman after all… only my career is now at home!) so what now… now that the mister is away & there’s practically no 1 to make intellectual conversations with at night… or wake-up to prepare breakfast & make coffee for?! well, that’s why now i’ve been able to blog more often again, stay-up late, sleep longer hours, wake-up late, eat whatever, take a bath late, watch endless tv, & sew bags ’til the wee hours of the morning… or just whenever i’d care to do so! (alright i’m just kidding, darling! not all of those are true! ;))

hmm, just as i almost forgot my cooking dinner for some guys other than my husband just last wednesday, 10.19… guys like these fwends!!! 😛

L-R: jessamine, me, coach vinny, april, & lia

yeah, lia was nice enough to move the venue from their place to our humble abode almost last minute, just so they could keep me company & i could join them in finalizing the plans for our much-awaited halloween costume-themed party! 😀 (yay!!! now that’s really somethin’ for me to blog about again soon, & definitely somethin’ for you fun-loving people to look forward to as well!!!) so anyways, i’ve been seriously eager to have some guests come over our place ever since dear husband flew off & i was simply immobilized & pretty much stuck at home without him driving for me! it’s been over a year i think since we sold my car for practical reasons, & i almost forgot how it is to be independent again… not until only last saturday. jeff’s early christmas present, bruno, has finally arrived for me to test-drive… 🙂 & just today, he is but mine oh mine!!! (thanks again, my love! better late than never!!! can’t wait for you to meet him again!)

he fits just perfectly in our other garage!!!

so but going back to last wednesday, i was then glad to cook for these fwends some noodles & penne to go with my mean laing pasta dish!!! 😛

also cooked some of my very own lacey rolls!

sliced & paired with some “instant-fresh orange juice!!!”

even for just a while, our home was again filled with great company, memorable conversations, fine wine to celebrate some good news i just got earlier on that day (you’ll see what it is in my comment/s after i blogged about taking the plunge!) & more unforgettable moments… 🙂

like this mind-boggling makeshift corkscrew c/o master vinny!

& lia's love notes... for jessamine & april! cheers!!!

& back to the real agenda: planning... fb, fb, fb, & more planning!!!

 so until this coming HALLOWEEN… (just in time for jeff to party with us back home again!!! sweet! 😉)

lo♥e, pea☮e, & sünshine ☼

lala garcia

taking the plunge

in life, there really are those times when you just gotta take the plunge! sounds pretty exciting though, huh? 😉

at times you may be lucky enough to get a CHANCE or the CHOICE to step back… other times you won’t even have 1. talk about FORCES OF NATURE as i always try to do here in my blogs!

so today i write because of this very REMINDER that i got from staying up all night last night. certain things simply are & become as they are bound to be; things beyond our control, things brought about by the force of circumstances; yet that doesn’t mean we cannot find happiness again after those things occur. i know, i know, it could take real conscious effort to get over things sometimes, especially if you’re a control freak like me! however, let’s face it… “suffering is an option, happiness is a choice.” a line i had picked up from this 2009 pinoy romantic DRAMA film…  which actually, makes ABSOLUTE sense to me. it attempts to remind us to move on & take risks also, even after a VERY tragic, dreaded event happens (something i PRAY i’d never EVER have to bear in my life though) almost to say we should stop our feelings in order to survive!

IF ONLY we can just really stop & think through all our feelings, & choose just how they’d affect us, then living life wouldn’t be so risky.

yesterday at dawn for instance, my husband jeff had to fly off to europe (without me = suffering :() for an incentive trip he’s worked hard for the whole time last year… (now that’s happiness :)) he’s been with this german company for some 5 yrs now & has definitely been privileged to have gotten such most coveted award in as soon as he did… others he’s traveling with now actually took even longer than his whole stint to achieve. aside from this, jeff has also recently just gotten promoted as 1 of the few new district managers (happines again :)) when quite a number of his seniors who applied for the same opening too, even more than once before, still weren’t chosen… to think he only decided to take his chance & apply for it the last minute already, i remember! oh yes, i am extremely proud of this man & i am feeling totally blessed to be his wifey! 😛 (beyond happiness :)) thing is, he still hasn’t been told exactly which part of the country he would be assigned to when this promotion takes effect next year! (suffering from all the suspense :() but whatever, we’ve still been really really happy & thankful to GOD with how HE’s prospering us now & just preparing us both for even more blessings… (yey happiness :)) blessings we know HE’s just been wanting for us to enjoy as well very very soon! 😀 Thank YOU, LORD!!!

then yesterday am came, despite feeling no urge to get up from bed without jeff by my side, (suffering :() my mother woke me up with a call saying i should get ready for lunch with her & my elder brother’s family. (happiness :)) i then got to spend the rest of my sunday still with loved ones, as ideal.. & thankfully, rather than just spending it at home all alone! (suffering :() so there, for my brunch actually, i even got to try the food for the 1st time in this relatively new italian resto just nearby our place… with guess what?! with my husband’s real name – namesake, john, that i terribly missed him even more again!!! (suffering :() good thing FOOD & KIDS were there to cheer me up as always! (happiness :))

my niece & nephews: annika, byron, & gavin... & his funny face!

after our sumptuous meal, we then headed straight to visit my other niece… it’s been exactly 10 yrs since she was stillborn. (remembered suffering :()

annika, who came after +miana+ is now 8yrs old

though, “GOD’s ways are not our ways” (isaiah 55:8-9 – 1 of my most favorite verses from the bible) & so somehow, with these 3 younger siblings of +miana+ GOD reminded me again that HE always has a way, HE always has something to fill in the void… (& bring back the happiness :))

after which, we took the opportunity to visit our dad there as well… he would’ve been turning 63 yrs old in a couple of weeks already.

the boys helping out decorate the grave this time of +papey lits+

anyhow, like what they say “in death there is life,” quite literally so i was reminded of this too (& the gift of life here on earth) as we went to visit next a new nephew who was just born 2 days ago! (happiness :)) my cousin gave birth to him 6 weeks early for his due date. baby rafa was just unstoppable! 😛 what did i say about things going beyond our control?! well, no doubt an unexpected thing like this is all worth it though!

rafa smiling, as we peep him thru the glass window of the nursery

congratulations again, cousins atty. marie & atty. nico for a bouncing & smiling baby boy!!! 😀

now at least i am reminded that there must always be something great to look forward to in times when all you could do is take the plunge or take a leap of faith. everytime there is suffering, i just know now that THERE WILL BE happiness again in the end.

lo♥e, pea☮e, & sünshine ☼

lala garcia

the ripple effect

i was really almost certain i’d gain some significant weight coming back from my bangkok business (slash food) trip last week! 🙂 in just a matter of 2 days, mah fwend jean & i practically ate all we can, as if there was no tomorrow!!!

green chicken curry meal with mango salad to share!

their version of cream puff & "ginataan" coconut milk dessert

pad thai noodles & 2 rounds of milk tea!!

some noddles again & milk tea, plus hot hot tom yum

donuts, donuts, & more donuts!!!

oh & not to forget, our smorgasbord hotel breakfasts i just wasn’t able to take pictures of anymore! 😛

so, what do you think… how could i NOT possibly gain some amount of weight after all that eating?! but what if i tell you that i actually didn’t?? oh yes! 😀 would you believe I EVEN LOST 2lbs!?! neither could i at first!

back in my previous blog where i’ve revealed my testing the waters, i had shared my endeavor in losing weight & in putting this new product to the test! 😉

i heard it's now out in the market - in all Watsons & Mercury Drugstores nationwide!

so last saturday, 09.24, before circuit training… i braved the weighing scale of our coach vinny (which even measured body fats & all!) together with the rest of team VNF (yes, we now have a name for ourselves! stands for Vinny N Fwends!) to find out i actually only weighed 117lbs!!! well it is what it is… still not my ideal weight for sure (hehe!) but at least, despite my then again food trip in bkk, I STILL LOST 2lbs from weighing 119lbs before i left! really not bad at all for someone like me who had NO EFFORT to diet whatsoever!!!

well for sure, i’ll be blogging more about this uh-mazing antioxidant, whitening, & slimming product all rolled into 1 food supplement in the coming days… (especially ‘coz my test phase isn’t officially over yet) but ok, i think i could do some typing job for you here right now just to give a li’l bit more information about it already (& i quote a few from it’s literature:)

wait! see my FAIR hand goin' A-OKAY! (or it can also mean: take 1 capsule 3x a day for MAXimum results!)

“a safe and effective dietary supplement with a special formulation that contains Tonalin *CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) and **L-Carnatine as important components in weight management. It shrinks the fat cells & metabolizes it into energy. It’s additional formulation of ***Reduced Glutathione and ****Sodium Ascorbate acts as an anti-oxidant that makes skin lighter & more more radiant. Daily supplementation reduces weight, maintains a lean body and prevents fat regain while leaving the skin with a youthful, whiter glow.”

*CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) – is a type of fatty acid called a trans fat that occurs naturally & is actually healthy. It is a nutrient found in human breast milk. It is also found in meat & dairy products. This nutrient is considered to be the best ingredient of a weight loss pill by helping to build lean muscle tissue & shed fat that is stored around the abdomen (belly fat) & thigh area, which is a major problem area for many dieter. Tonalin CLA is the leading brand of CLA that is safe, scientifically proven & effective nutritional supplement. Most awarded fat burner in Europe & U.S.A.

**L-Carnatine – an amino acid which helps in breaking down of calories. It stimulates the long chain of fatty acid into mitochondria. With the help of this, effective energy is produced so as to burn fat easily.

***Reduced Glutathione – the most powerful anti-oxidant in the body. It does not only promote health but also makes skin evenly lighter.

****Sodium Ascorbate – vitamin c which helps in the process of skin lightening.

lo♥e, pea☮e, & sünshine ☼

lala garcia

testing the waters

so these past few days got me thinking… to diet or NOT to diet?!?

well if you know me, you’ll know as well why it’s such a BIG DEAL for me to even consider going on 1! 😛 i absolutely enjoy eating a lot… eating ’til my heart’s content! my husband even came up with his own quote about me saying: “the best way to my wifey’s heart is through her stomach!” (& funny as it may seem, i really could not contest him on that!!!)

personally, i refuse to believe in any of those fad diets. what i do believe in is that to really achieve & maintain one’s desired weight OR FIGURE is to have a complete lifestyle change… so good luck with that! i believe as well in eating healthy & in moderation… & so during those times when i just couldn’t help but over-eat, or when i know i am about to indulge in food for like a special occasion or a mere craving, i somehow feel guilty too & then start thinking of going on a diet just to “punish” or justify myself! haha! well in fact, that’s precisely also 1 of the reasons why i’ve started doing this once-a-week INTENSE circuit training with some highschool friends for quite some time now… yes, all because i really could not give up food nor starve myself, i’d rather just exercise!!! my blog in highs and in lows has the rest of that story covered. 😉

now going back to special occasions (& again, eating!) i think it would just be perfect to share here as well that recently, my husband & i had this week-long celebration for our “7th heaven” anni♥ersary of being a couple. (excuses!!! :P) anyway… during the weekend, we then decided to avail of some long-overdue OUTBACK treat over in makati while we were already somewhere around the area. it was actually their way of thanking me for blogging about them last 07.01 hunger thunders from down under. isn’t that just great?! i’m definitely glad i got my feet wet on this blogging thing too… i can’t forget writing about my brainstormy clouds which got me just starting this all!

as posted in the OUTBACK SEA facebook fan page

SWEET! blogging CAN BE rewarding indeed!!! 😀

liking every bit of our favorite Combination Appetizer & staple Chicken or Shrimp Caesar Salad!

cheers to freebies!!!

care for dessert?!

now tell me, to diet still or NOT to diet? that is again the question! well, well… look at what i got myself right now to help me avoid doing just that? 😉

ok, after sharing much stories in this blog, i finally introduce to you the very 1 thing i am actually testing & referring to as waters in my title!

well this brilliant product is just about to be available in the market very very soon… but thanks to some great family, i have had the privilege to try & prove it’s results for myself way ahead most others could even find out about it! 😀 so i decided to start taking this right upon seeing a very unflattering picture of myself over a couple of weeks ago… i haven’t posted it yet but it is explicitly described in my previous blog as well, in highs and in lows. 😛

another compelling reason i had was when i simply found out that i’ve gained weight, instead of losing some, over the past weeks when i’ve already been exercising regularly. my weigh-in as of then (last 08.06) was 116lbs & it went up to 119lbs!!! my oh my! for a petite girl like me (more or LESS 5ft TALL, hehe!) i was definitely worried to gain a pound more than that already! if only i could just rationalize with what they say that it’s but normal to GAIN a few pounds from the first few days of working-out, given that the fats turn into muscles & muscles are heavier than fats… i myself have yet to be convinced! although fine, it’s not like i was the only 1 among us friends who did gain a pound or 2 (or in my case 3!) so then i guess alright, maybe it is the muscles!!! at the end of the day though, the goal really is still to shed off some of those extra lbs keeping us from performing, looking & feeling our best.

as for my test, the results are yet to be seen using this 1 promising product… tomorrow, i shall be flying off to bangkok for some business (& ok, food trip!) so I AM SURE i’ll be eating more than i’d normally do! i am taking along a box of this GlutaMAX Slim with me, & taking 1 capsule 2-3x a day until i’m back & get to weigh-in again. i’m quite expecting to gain some more pounds, honestly… but since i’ve got this now, then let’s just wait & see! 🙂

lo♥e, pea☮e, & sünshine ☼

lala garcia

in highs and in lows

who knew… for about a month now, i’ve been working-out with some of my closest highschool friends (through thick & thin!!) to try & get back into shape, get fit, & feel fab ALL OVER AGAIN just like back in the days! 😉 (ok i wonder if that’s at all possible! i barely weighed 100lbs back then!!!)

our coach & master circuit trainer, triathlete, ironman finisher, also a close friend from highschool,

THE Vinny Tongson

has been responsible for making us sweat like pigs every saturday morning!!! he’s gone all out for us like his guinea pigs, charging us with no fee (just free breakfasts, if you would consider that… hehe!) such that he’s earned the right to make us all do as he says! seems to me though that the price we’re actually paying him for is the fact that we need to shake our body fats off in front of him!!! (just kidding, coach! :P) well of course as friends, or FWENDS as we would fondly call ourselves instead, there is that ounce of fulfillment maybe only we could give to him as we choose to live healthier, get more active, & enjoy being in his zone!  😉

for about an hour or so, he finds bliss in making us do sprints, squats, lunges, burpees, inchworms, jumping jacks & what not, planking… of all sorts: side planks, superman planks, name it! we whine here & there but still we work it! whatever motivation we each have for doing so, we seem to find ourselves just doing it all anyway, the coach vinny way… 🙂 & all for the love of ____, ____, & ____ (you fill in the blanks!) oh the joy on his face whenever he sees us catching our breaths, pushing ourselves to our limits; we’re almost convinced he’s a real sadist! –  someone who obtains pleasure from inflicting pain on others! then again, when he commands, we obey!!!

personally, it was just about time i joined in this sort of healthy thing last 08.06 (a total of 4 saturdays so far) plus 1 tuesday, only last 08.30 when it was declared a national holiday (End of Ramadan) & we seized the opportunity to work-out all together again!

from L-R: (clockwise) me, jeff, lia, aljay, drago, april, vinny, eric, & jean our host (taken at breakfast after last tuesday's work-out)

oh did i mention that the breakfast treats for coach vinny meant all of us enjoying it with him?! like 1 big happy family right after work-outs?!? well, this for sure is something we all have been looking forward to already every end of the week. yay! (so is it saturday yet?!? ok tomorrow is! wheeee!!!)

meanwhile, here’s just a glimpse of what goes on before the eating part… 😀

from top L-R: margot, lia, jessica, vinny, april, jean, & jessamine bottom: eric & drago

ok i wasn’t able to join mah fwends there yet… (not that i was late or was already out eating ahead of everybody else, haha!) it’s just that there hasn’t been any “photo opportunity” yet again to take some more during or even after training ever since i’ve joined them… not to be sad though, i actually thought hey, good for me! no picture of myself to show how much of a piglet i am/was starting!!! hehe!

hmm… but then why not actually?!? after all, i could make good use of my before & after pics & might just even inspire a bunch of people to go exercise too, right?! 😛 well i know i’m no buff (or maybe not yet!) but anyway, doing this once-a-week intense circuit training is better than doing nothing at all, right?! 😉

fine! so here goes my “before pic…”

hahaha, wait! not so fast!!! nope, i couldn’t do it!! sorry… 😦 ok for now, let me just use explicit words while you try to imagine little miss piggy me! 😀

picture me like in the 2nd photo above, wearing a pair of EXTRA SMALL-sized black jogging pants & green MEDIUM-sized dri-fit top… LOVE HANDLES SHOWING! my hair all tied up & bangs clipped away from my big round face, looking down from a few steps above to the camera – really NOT a good angle to be taken a photo in! standing side-by-side with me are 3 other girlfwends, wearing some loose clothing instead… what catches your eyes again? MY LOVE HANDLES!!!

so you see, even though i know i said i could make good use of a picture as unflattering as that to compare my progress with… i  guess you too could agree that i better wait for that next picture of myself when i’m all sexy already! that way, looking back at the piggy pic of me wouldn’t be so bad anymore!!! (hihi, now you’ll have that to watch-out for in my next blogs!) we’ll see where this goes… 🙂

lo♥e, pea☮e, & sünshine ☼

lala garcia

the calm between the storms

FOUR FULL WEEKS OF LULL in our lala land… WHERE WAS I ANYWAY?! (well, just in this so called lala life actually... that’s where!)

i guess when reality sets in, you just really have to stop & think, drop some things for some others, brave through the STORMS to survive, & tirelessly pray to GOD that “it will all come to pass.”

for now, i can simply say that it hasn’t been at all too easy going through such in only the past 28 days, & oh the next few days again… but i hope i’m wrong.

somehow, i feel like TIME is catching up on me.

being 30 from where i am, 1 SHOULD ALREADY CLEARLY SEE where to go… ironically, just when i turned 30 some few months back, that’s when i started realizing how much of it was a blur & perhaps just all in the mind!

coincidentally blindfolded on my 30th birthday!

before getting married, it was all crystal clear to me what my partner & i both wanted for our lifelong journey. obviously, i became oblivious to the fact that life can be very tricky! not because we agreed on something, meant we were going to get it for sure, or that it was truly meant for us.

         

going up on a high                              going down the aisle

               

embracing our new life                            cherishing the moment

          

our ride of a lifetime                              our walk to forever

now, after more than 3 years of WEDDED BLISS… while we remain VERY HAPPY – though still without a child, VERY HEALTHY – even after all the extra pounds, & VERY SANE – despite all kinds of people trying to drive us real crazy mad & just plain insane (haha, too bad!) i’m happy once again i could just start relaxing, slow things down, & stop being so fixated with all the agenda i had pictured in my head when i chanced upon this philosophy…

“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” — Joseph Campbell

you bet i was hit by this so bad i had to get back in to blogging! (talk about doing something unplanned, huh!) somehow, it just reaffirmed what i’ve recently learned about things going unexpectedly… & how we can never be too prepared for some changes, even with so many back-up plans. oh but of course, not to disregard the importance of planning ahead  & still doing the best that we can to be ready for anything (anything we can think of at least!)

if you’ve read my blogs from 07.15.11, blown with the wind & from 06.30.11, brainstormy clouds – then you’d know what kind of a “career path” i had drawn out for myself even way before. while i enjoyed working & earning my own living, or learning & growing in the corporate world, i needed to let go of those certain opportunities because of the more important things they were taking away from me… things such as QUALITY TIME for me & my husband, family, & friends; the very lifestyle we wanted; & the roles i believed i was really meant to play. in short, it was a no-brainer giving up money for love!!! ♥

i had some pretty simple goals anyway; to become a dutiful wife, a loving mother, & (on the side) a successful business woman whom my family & friends could be happy for & proud of as well. (yeah, they sounded so simple really!!!) lucky me, my ever-supportive husband has just been as willing & able to do everything else for our other goals ever since then. days turned into weeks, months, & now years, yet still i dream. i realized that the 1st needed the 2nd, while the 3rd has been equally challenging too. well i honestly never imagined each 1 to take so long & hard to reach! guess everything’s really just a matter of time… & by now, even if they don’t look anymore as vivid as they used to be in my head, 1 thing remains clear: that GOD is in control. in HIS own sweet time, these dreams will just all unfold right in front of my very own eyes & perhaps even more than i could have ever imagined! for sure i would be looking back at this blog with glee! 😛

in the meantime, let me close this now by sharing with you all A PRAYER FOR DIRECTION & GUIDANCE… it’s something i had been trying to find words for & am just glad to have found already during this rather wait-&-see time of my life. who knows, it might just be that 1 prayer you’ve always been looking for as well. 🙂

“Father we live in a world where many of us have come to the realization that we need Your Divine direction and guidance,  lest we second guess ourselves. Father, we boldly come to the throne of grace for mercy just like You said that we could.  Father I know that You have a divine path for me and me alone. Father I know that it was predestined for me to do a certain thing before the worlds were formed.  Father I come before You this day to ask you to lead me because I am ready.  It may not be a clear and straight path.  Perhaps, there are many stops along the way.  Perhaps there are detours and delays.  Maybe I might even run into toll booths and bad weather, but no matter what MY TRUST IS IN YOU!  I’m looking up to You and I will never give up until Your perfect will has been accomplished.  Thank you.  In Jesus name I ask and Pray. AMEN.”

lo♥e, pea☮e, & sünshine ☼

lala garcia

a whirlwind reunion

just as in A WHIRLWIND ROMANCE, we sure had quite “a PASSIONATE AFFAIR that happened VERY QUICKLY” only this past weekend… & you bet it was GOOD too!!! 😛 hehehe!

back in my previous blog, blown with the wind, i’ve shared just how thrilled & excited i was to be celebrating 5 years of friendship with my CuhRAaZY HSBC friends. since the exact day fell on a sunday & a lot more couldn’t make it then, we decided to just have dinner the night before & sort of party ’til after midnight (so then we would STILL be hangin’ out right on the day itself!) CuhLEVERrr huh?! 😉 or maybe, just maybe subconsciously, that was also an excuse for us to extend & spend a li’l more time together… hmm….. yet how come it still felt like everything happened OH SO FAST?! oh well, hence the title! meanwhile, you might enjoy just lookin’ at some of our pictures DURING THE NIGHT:

from L-R: jeff, me, pau, marlo, harris, katz, tina, l.a. & allen

wheee!!! that’s 9 of us already & the night was still young! haha! ok still very few compared to the total headcount of our tranche, but definitely a lot more (150% more) than our reunion’s headcount last year! 😛 yey!!!

jude & aljo finally makes it too

at last shem (in pink) with the guys

it was nice meeting a new face or 2… jude, aljo’s special guest, was only introduced to us that night for the first time ‘coz CAPTAIN aljo happened to be off flying this same time last year (i think!) whoa! yes, we do have a pilot friend already… such a career move, right? 🙂 on the other hand, shem (who btw also had a great shift to an airline company) was present last year surprising us all with the news that he & his long-term girlfriend already got married just a few months back, still wasn’t able to take her again to join us this year… he brought a cousin from the states to be his special guest instead! all in all, we had a lucky #13 attendees this year! yay!!! 😀 not bad at all!

before the night was through though, these 2 ladies were to do a cinderella act! naturally, we (or l.a. & marlo) had to try & stop them…

see… they really had tried! even if it was to no avail… 😦

shortly after that, aljo & jude already had to leave as well… & again you see how some1 just had to stop them! clearly, my powers didn’t work as well. booo!

me trying to stop aljo from leaving!

down to 9 again (1 taking this)

nevertheless, we who stayed, did stay for at least a couple more hours even after 12midnight came… & i guess that was when all the “bromance” (i meant BROTHERLY LOVE) happened in this WHIRLWIND of a reunion!!! ahaha! let me leave it at that, right marlo?!? boy, you were the envy of the mimi ganders! anyway, just let these SELECTED pictures speak for themselves!! AFTER MIDNIGHT:

oh marlo!!!

ok don’t mind me there!

oh btw, that guy in blue is shem’s cousin, joshua, who i already told you about… & doesn’t he just seem to be enjoying our company?! 😛

enjoying ourselves very much!

missing mrs. shem in this 1..

cheers, you guys!!!

1 of the boys, as always!

my husband kisses me in public!!!

& more CuhRAaZY moments in between!

now on to the (mid)night’s highlights… we had performers for the rest of the resto:

pau sings “half crazy!”

joshua sings  for the crowd too!

i wish i could remember what joshua sang though! anyhow, he did a great solo & a fantastic duet with pau as well!

shakira gets l.a.!

l.a. gets dancin’ the night away!

now after all the drinking, singing & dancing (& all these pictures courtesy of katz, pau, & marlo) you sure could tell that we made the most out of our limited time together. the ones who still weren’t able to make it this year absolutely missed A WHOLE LOT OF FUN!!! as capt. aljo said, “DO NOT ATTEND AT YOUR OWN RISK!” i couldn’t have said that any better! so until our next anniversary, guys… or hey, should we really have to wait for another year just to get together again?! hmm, what do you think??

lo♥e, pea☮e, & sünshine ☼

lala garcia