Hot Flow

I am happy to note that I was able to attend my first yoga class yesterday. I thought I will not be able to make it on time but I was there fifteen minutes before the scheduled start of class.

It was supposed to be gentle flow but the yoga instructor mentioned that it will be hot flow. The room's temperature was upped to 37 degrees (100 F). I thought of leaving the room since this might be intended for advanced students. I might collapse knowing my low tolerance for heat.

My apprehension was appeased when she said there will be two of them in front. Her partner will lead for the advanced students and she will lead for the beginners. We will be doing easy asanas, the basic yoga positions. There were also lessons on how to make the body more flexible. From what I remember these were the poses we did - basic seated, basic standing, calming basic sequence. I was able to do some poses with little effort. I had to put great effort for most but one proved to be really challenging that I had to pause for a few seconds.

I was sweating all over but I did not mind the heat. I did not even feel suffocated nor irritated which are the two things I normally feel when temperature is high. This was really surprising. You mean I was that engaged with all the poses that I totally forgot about the heat? I was having fun, some sweaty fun.

I would like to note that I was quite comfortable with the seated twist, dog tilt, cat tilt, downward facing dog. I was surprised that I had a hard time balancing doing the tree pose. But when I got home and repeated it, I was able to do it properly. One proved to be a challenge which I was not able to do. I forgot what it is called but the forelimbs are slipped under the hind limbs and they will act as support in carrying your whole body. The palms are touching the floor which acts as the base. Whew!

My favorite is the shavasana. I understand it is always done at the end of every yoga class which aims to rejuvenate and relax the body, mind and spirit. I needed that after all my muscles were flexed and stretched. My muscles needed to unwind. I could very well attest shavasana did relax me. As if I did not do all the poses for the first time. I was expecting sore muscles but they did not hurt much.

It helped that I have been going to the gym since middle of last year. I am quite used to stretching and some muscle flexing. The greater factor is reading books which revolves on getting in touch with the inner self. I appreciate the importance of meditation and having a quite time. I know it is a learning process and I am very interested to adapt this in my lifestyle.

There were a few preparations I did a week before I decided to join the session. I read about yoga for beginners online. I watched a few videos and tried some of the poses. I also talked to L, my good friend, who is attending Bikram yoga for a few months already. She encouraged me to be patient. Do not compete with anyone nor be conscious of how I do the poses. It's natural not to perfectly achieve them in an instant. Let my mind focus on the breathing and relax myself.

To be honest I still have to practice my breathing. I sometimes commit some lapses at the exact moment I have to inhale and exhale. Yoga as I have read is fifty percent breathing. I will practice my breathing.

My realization is that if yoga is to be a part of my lifestyle, I should enroll in a yoga center and have a personal relationship with my instructor. I want to have a mentor. I want to maximize the benefits and put them to good use. Attending yoga sessions provided by the gym is fine for the moment that I am still exploring it. I am one hundred percent interested. I am very enthusiastic about yoga and how it can further improve my well being.

Stars and Free Will

Mercury is in retrograde from January 11 to February 1. About.com:Astrology says it can alter perceptions of what is going on, and cause things to go haywire or be delayed. I know a lot who are a little under the weather, having slow response from some persons they need to hear from as soon as possible, indecision too is quite the trend in a few quarters I work with.

I am thinking maybe this planetary condition is affecting me already.

Maybe this happens to you too, once in a while. Even petty things have great annoying effects. I am generally patient. Not today. Emotions ran high.

I woke up at the wrong side of the bed. My thoughts were horrible. Getting off the bed, the humid temperature outside the room makes my temper shorter.

I was a mess in the kitchen this morning. I used the wrong ware. The pan cover fell on the floor which really ticks me off even on ordinary days. I just don't like how it startles me. Also I thought the food won't get cooked on time. I am working on a schedule here.

I tripped on the sidewalk. I recovered my balance immediately but still my foot was a little hurt plus the fact that it was a bit embarrassing. And my cell phone fell to the ground as I was getting out of the car.

The work I intended to start today did not get done. I was thinking maybe today is not the right time to begin with it. I decided to postpone it for tomorrow. Or was that just an excuse to procrastinate? But really my mind tells me to take a breather.

I feel so sleepy now. Maybe because of all the work and all the thinking I did. By the way, I went back to the gym today. I was at the gym for two consecutive days now. I do not normally do this, it's always alternate. So this means muscle aches here and there. Still I am thankful I proceeded. Working out gives me a good feeling which results to clearer thinking which makes me more rational.

There are things we bring upon ourselves. There is what we call free will. It's not always in the stars (or the planets). It is what we actually do which brings us retribution or reward.

See, I slept at around three in the morning because I want to witness a history in
my lifetime, the inauguration of Barack Obama. Having only three hours of sleep can make one flounder and commit some blunders. A quite simple equation.

Right now I just want to relax my mind. Read my book and have a good sleep. Tomorrow I will be attuned with myself as I always am. Looking forward to it. :)

Quail Eggs

Except for squash and potato (the misunderstood vegetable), my daughter would only eat all other vegetables if they are mixed with something else like chicken, pork or beef. In this case, I put in quail eggs and chicken liver for added flavor, together with carrots, snow peas, chayote, etcetera. A semi-chopsuey if you must. Fortunately she liked the taste. Her plate was all clean when we had it for dinner.


More lunch box sharing at Filipino Mom Blog. :)

Outdoor Studying

Well, outdoor as in out of the house. My daughter and I tagged along with my husband on the scheduled routine maintenance of the car - change oil, air filter, tires, belts, etcetera. We wanted to go to the mall after so we decided to join my husband. But then my daughter and I are not actually fond of vehicle service shops so we decided to wait for my husband in the nearby Starbucks.

We brought along her book so she can study for her long quiz the following day. The car check up usually takes an hour and thirty minutes we might as well put the waiting into good use. And this way, we are free the rest of the afternoon. Wise move. :)


More of weekend snapshots here. Have a great week ahead! :)

Hats

Today's photo hunt is all about hats. I would like to share pictures of my daughter wearing different hats.

1. Wearing a black velvet hat. She said she is the female version of Ryan Evans from High School Musical. Ryan always wear a hat in each scene and his hats are fabulous.

2. Taken last year when she participated in McDonald's Kiddie Crew program.

3. She wore a cap during their field trip at Island Cove.

4. This is her favorite. We bought the pink crocheted hat in Baguio City, the summer capital of the Philippines.

Enjoy your photo hunting! Happy weekend everyone! :)

Thinking About Yoga

I'm home early but I have a few take home work to do, mostly project reviews. I want to get these done in an hour so I should not be lingering here in the blogosphere or in plurkdom. And I want to cook dinner. But I just have to post about my sudden interest in yoga. Maybe it's not sudden. The interest grew on me as I see it.

A good friend, Chats, is into yoga so I asked her last night where should I start. I don't want to be looking dumb contorting my body together with the experts or those who have been doing yoga for quite some time. She suggested I should join the gentle flow class. We have the same gym membership by the way. I'd like to check the schedule of the said class tomorrow.

Earlier, Yoga Jane plurked "Yoga is the great equalizer". I responded by saying I am just so intrigued as to what good effects it can do to a person. I am also wondering why is is that it's mostly women who do yoga. I only know of two men who are into yoga.

Just a few minutes ago, a close friend called inviting me to a dinner tomorrow. She seemed in a hurry and sounds like she's on the road. She said she's on her way to her yoga class. We have not been updated with each others activities lately so I was surprised to hear what's her after office agenda these days. We talked about it for a few minutes. Bottom line, its effect on her is being more patient. She can manage her temper better.

I have been reading books on getting in touch with the inner self. I am surrounded by people who take yoga not as a fad but a lifestyle. (My colleagues never miss yoga sessions.) I have a close friend who swears by its good effects on her attitude.

Synchronicity, meaningful coincidences. Maybe these are signs to go for it. My decision to try yoga is not dependent on these but they encourage me. Time for me to start reading more about it and join the class.

May the force be with me. Oooops, that's different I guess. :)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I have not read the short story where this movie was based but I read the publicities while it was being filmed. I have been wanting to watch this movie since then. I was so curious with the theme of a man aging backwards. Bizarre. Speculative - what if? All the more I wanted to see it when I had a glimpse of how they were supposed to have created Brad Pitt as an old man digitally.

I still had my reservations knowing that the director, David Fincher, is known for his dark, violent movies - Se7en, Zodiac, Panic Room, Fight Club (which is one of my favorites). Benjamin Button is supposed to be poignant, full of emotions. I am also trying to reconcile how a digitally engineered Benjamin Button would be able to act and convey emotions. It just might look odd.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button did not disappoint and so was Fincher's direction. Everything just connected, seamless. I know it is a long movie, more than two hours. If a movie is this long I always tend to get a little distracted halfway. I just want to get to the bottom of the story. It was not so in this movie. I watched it, listened intently to every line spoken by the actors and let the story unfold. I was waiting how Benjamin and Daisy will catch up with each other. They eventually did.

Brad Pitt was fine but hats off to Taraji Henson and Cate Blanchett. They moved me. Taraji played Queenie, the adoptive mother of Benjamin and Cate as Daisy, Benjamin's love interest. They showed different emotions without histrionics. They played it cool so to speak. The cinematography is stunning as well as the special effects.

I am biased with films with narrations in a low, melancholy voice. It just gives a more personal touch. I love how this was narrated, how a journal retold everything significant in a person's life. I am partial to films which highlights relationships created as one goes through life. People, they come and go. Some lives we touch. And others touch ours too. This film is not focused on a particular aspect of life. It is about life as a whole, the way one grasps or holds each experience.

The narration about the collision course is a masterpiece. Whether by accident or by design, there is not a thing we can do about it so it says. These are the "ifs" in a situation - if only I was a minute early, if only I called, if only I stopped, if only I said.....but the situations, the people are bound to collide.

This movie is full of quotable quotes. It's like coming from a Paulo Coelho narrative but it's not. This is more direct. If I may say also this is not for the cynics.

The movie tells us about letting go.

You can be mad as a mad dog at the way things went. You can swear and curse the fates. But when it comes to the end, you have to let go.

About some realizations.

It’s a funny thing coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You realize what’s changed is you.

About opportunities and taking charge of what we have. These are for people who find themselves with some regrets, there is that choice to move forward.

Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss.

For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.

This movie is profoundly moving. It tells you to capture every moment of your life and live each fully in ways big and small. This is the type of story which lingers on one's thoughts.

Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich

My daughter got a little creative with her afternoon snack. She put a little twist to her cookies and put some ice cream filling and made an icecream cookie sandwich. I love the flavor - coffee crumble.

This was the nth batch of her cookies with coffee crumble in it.


Upclose. Yummy!


And after munching and nibbling, the aftermath...only one cookie left. I have to have it. :)

Please visit other photo hunters for their own version of "aftermath". Have a blessed weekend! :)

Pula (Red)

Kuha ito noong New Year's Eve. Suot ng anak ko ang pulang blouse na pinili niya para gamitin sa pagsalubong sa bagong taon. Oo, lahat kami ay nakapula. Iyan ay isa sa aking mga tradisyon. Gusto kong nakapula kami dahil masaya at buhay na buhay ang kulay.

(This was taken last New Year's Eve. My daughter was wearing the red blouse she chose to use in welcoming the new year. Yes, we all wore red. This is one of my personal traditions. I want us all wearing red because I find it a happy color, it's so alive.)

Kasama niya sa litrato ang paborito niyang aso, si Star, isang shitzu.

(With my daughter in the picture is Star, a shitzu.)

Cheeseburger

Here's what I tossed and turn on the pan, scooped and shoved in the bun. :) Painted it with some mayonnaise. It's good to go. Cheeseburger for my daughter's morning snack at school.

Filipino Mom Blog's meme on "What's in your lunch box?" is on going. Please visit and you may want to participate. :)

The Black Dahlia

This movie is more than two years old now but I have not watched it yet. I was glued to my laptop last night browsing about Rob Pattinson and Chace Crawford when husband nudged me to see what was on teevee. Oh, it was Josh Hartnett. He knows Josh is one of my favorites. I closed the lappie and proceeded to watch The Black Dahlia.

I heard of this movie before but have totally forgotten what's it all about. I was preparing to be bored and thought to myself that I'll sleep halfway through the movie. But I did not. If finished it at almost one in the morning. I was engrossed.

I learned this was a true case back in the 1940s but was never solved. It then has book and film adaptations. The Black Dahlia is directed by Brian de Palma which was a great part of my excitement. Demented, deranged, de Palma.

The Summary. The film's backdrop is the murder of a young lady, Betty Short (Mia Kirshner) whose case has been assigned to two police officers, Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart) and Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett). As the two try to follow the case, deep relations between them as well as with Kay Lake (Scarlett Johansson, Blanchard's live in love) unfolds. Blanchard became obsessive as he relates the gruesome murder to her own sister's death. Bleichert gets to the case in a more methodical way following leads until he met a daughter of one of California's richest families, Madeleine Linscott (Hilary Swank), whose family has much to do with the murder.

The Performance. Josh Hartnett broods a lot. Not a glorious performance but good enough. I would like to think he has done justice to his role - someone on the brink of obsession but gets hold of himself to tread the right path. His screen chemistry with Scarlett is no surprise as they used to be together in real life. But with Hilary Swank? That was a major surprise for me.

There is not much to say on Aaron Eckhart and Scarlett Johansson's performances. Mediocre sounds cruel. Just okay is fine with me.

I have always liked Hilary, always giving a strong presence on screen. She gave a very convincing role of a rich degenerate with long, wavy hair, pouty lips and all. Most reviews don't find her fit for the role because of her strong features. But I would like to believe she delivered the goods.

Together with Hilary, Mia Kirshner and Fiona Shaw, gave convincing performances. Mia as Betty kind of give me goose bumps. Her story was shown through reviewing tapes from her auditions. Also Fiona (Aunt Petunia in the Harry Potter series) stole scenes with her portrayal of a very disturbed mother of Madeleine.

Friendship, love, obsession. It was laid out not in an overly dramatic fashion which is how I prefer my movie. One note on obsession - Hartnett's character is drawn to Hilary's because she has a striking resemblance with the murdered girl. The production design gave the audience a feel of the 1940s no doubt. The direction is clear but suspenseful enough to make you want to follow where each scene gets you.

Normally I put up the movie poster within my post but I will skip this one as the poster gives me the creeps. I chose instead a picture of Josh Hartnett from the movie.

Remakes

On the way to church our stereo was tuned in to Magic Radio because both my husband and my daughter are fond of listening to Miguel, a thirteen year old disc jock, and Big Daddy's World's Corniest Jokes segment.

Suddenly my husband blurted, "alam mong matanda ka na 'pag nire-remake na 'yung mga kanta na favorite mo nung bata ka pa" (you know you're old when you already hear remakes of the songs you love when you were younger). I laughed at what he said. I think "Your Love" was playing sung by...I am not sure now, Katy Perry maybe....but definitely not the band from our generation, The Outfield.

I already heard remakes of Nena's 99 Luft Baloons (99 Red Balloons), New Order's Bizarre Love Triangle, Crowded House's Don't Dream It's Over, even Bangles' Eternal Flame long ago. There are so many more music from the 80s that were revived that this post would be too long if I cover them all. Before I forget, I should not go far. The Apo Hiking Society and The Eraserheads were already given tribute by several bands by virtue of Kami nAPO Muna and Ultraelectromagneticjam.

If I may just site one more, Knockin' on Heaven's Door originally by Bob Dylan has a Guns n Roses remake and done by Avril Lavigne a few years ago. Though I can still relate with Avril Lavigne and the like, this song covered three generations already - our parents, me and my husband's and my daughter's.

It used to be that we were the ones listening to remakes from our parents' generation to ours. My reaction would always be the remake is better. My reaction to remakes now? Our generation's version is a lot better. Oh boy.

As John Lennon said, music is everybody's possession.

Of Blogging Pursuits

What do you know. Thank you for this wonderful thought, even if I was able to check it out a year later. That speaks a lot of how much I go around the blog land.

A very inspiring and positive post for 2008. Encourages a 'Pay it forward' attitude and an attitude of gratitude.

Big Hello, Warm Welcome was first posted a year ago in my first blog, Everything and then Some..... which now holds adverts and memes which are not family related.

I just discovered the nice thought this morning. I clicked the link where visitors come from in my stat counter and it landed on a stumble upon entry of babyamore.

My other blog, Beyond Fried Eggs, got an invite also yesterday to be a part of one of the programs of a food site. The guidelines will be emailed to me and I'll see how it works. I am just glad of notes of appreciations like what I have mentioned.

Even before the year ends, I was thinking of taking my blogging more seriously. Put more thought to it. Get a my own domain and have a decent layout. I have specific plans as to how I can integrate all my blogs into one. I just don't know if it's workable. I have to consult a good web designer. And if it's workable, how much will it cost. All these will come in due time.

I love blogging as this is one of my activities which I consider my ME moment. A lot of times though, work both at home and at the office plus my other agenda in life get so demanding that I cannot post as much as I want to. But that's alright. There is no pressure to post.

I am thinking of compartmentalizing my blogs. Compartmentalize, this is a favorite word for me and my colleague. When work gets too heavy and too hectic, we tell each other, we have to compartmentalize to avoid a clutter of activities, to be more organized and systematic.

I have started applying that in blogging but a lot of work needs to be done. I am taking the extra free time while I'm still on a holiday vacation on completing other blogs which will hold other topics I want to write about. How can I take care of all of them when my hands are full already from work and mommy duties? I always say this when I want something done, "kapag gusto may paraan, kapag ayaw maraming dahilan". It's a Filipino saying which roughly means if one wants something done so passionately, it gets done come hell or high water. But if one's heart is not really into it, one finds a million and one reasons not to do it.

Cheers to my online pursuits! May all these go in harmony with my mommy duties, my day jobs and all my other pursuits, worldly and otherwise. :)

Embracing the New Year

The intentions, the feelings still hold true for 2009, Big Hello, Warm Welcome. Good feelings last after all. :)

My husband and I have laid out specific goals for the year and beyond, how to sustain them and how to further improve them - for us, for the family and individually. Getting the gist of both short term and long term goals - they are all about wellness of the body, mind, spirit, living comfortably, paying it forward, letting more opportunities to come in our lives and pray that whatever our decisions are, they are blessed by Him and all geared for the best. Always keeping an attitude of gratitude. Celebrate Life. :)