Nat Geo Earth Day Run Results

Even if my results are quite embarrassing, I'm posting it for everyone to see since it's also up in the race results page of the Nat Geo Earth Day Run anyway. I don't understand whatever it is the graph is telling me but finishing at 49mins. in a 5k run has got to be slow. The first person to finish the 5k category finished it at 16mins.

And while we're at it, I kept looking for that hot guy covered in tattoo who ran 21k and finished at aroun 47-48mins in the photos posted in Facebook to no avail. How could the photographers not take his photo?! He's practically a god! Oh, yeah. Most photographers were men...

Condo living...

I have shared my desire to buy my own condo unit a couple of years from now despite the hardships I am currently having financially. This doesn't stop me from wanting to achieve my dream condominium unit, which I think I've finally found:

From the Avida Land Facebook page

I know that loft units cost so much more than regular one-bedroom or two-bedroom units but I've always dreamt of living in a loft. I even want a house with a loft.

Anyway, I originally wanted a unit from a much cheaper developer since, as I've mentioned, I don't really have the most rewarding (financially-wise) job in the world but when I thought about it, if I were to build a home for both Brianna and me, it has got to be with one of the best. So Ayala - Avida it is!

Elmo's definitely got the moves.

Having a kid has a lot of perks and it includes finding funky children's songs like this one:

I play this at least twice a day, and yes, even without Brianna. I even sing-along to it. Sorry I'm not sorry.

This song reminds me of T-Pain, though, I don't know why...

Nat Geo Earth Day Run 2013

When I saw the ad for the Nat Geo Earth Day Run 2013 on TV a month ago, I immediately wanted to run it. I asked the family about it and I was surprised that my parents actually agreed to register the run with me. I did so in the kiosk in Greenbelt 3 - thanks to Kulit Runner for the information about the kiosk - when I went out with a couple of friends.

Fast forward to last night: My parents decided to back out the last minute from the run due to lack of training. My siblings happily agreed - since they didn't have to pay for anything - to run it with me.

We ran 5k. Carlo finished at 36 minutes, Trish at 42 and I finished at 49 minutes. Personally, I was so proud of the two 'cause even without the training, they finished early without suffering any cramps but it just reminded me of how old I really am and that I should work on strengthening my body, especially my apparently really weak legs.

I didn't bring a camera or my phone - we used Trish's phone in the photo above - during the run but there were a lot of things I wanted to take photos of, like the water stations and one of their sponsors' booths that won't refill the water bottles and forced people to drink off of the cups. Too bad.

Anyway, we had to line up to get goodie bags and the certificates of participation after the run which took 30 minutes. I didn't want to leave the line despite Trish's attempts to change my mind. After all, we paid for those bags.

Overall, it was a pleasant experience. Nothing major really happened as far as the 5k run was concerned. I just think they should've done something about the plastic bottles and paper cups provided for by their hydration sponsors. Using those defeats the purpose of the run and their advocacy.

Diet and Exercise: Round 129834987409834092735.

After a couple of months of relapse on working out and dieting, I decided to start on  building those two habits all over again partly because I got inspired by my friends' progresses but mostly because I can't find a single t-shirt in my closet that won't show my pregnancy/beer belly; which is unfortunate for me because that's all I want to wear whenever I go out. I mean, with a pair of shorts and sneaks, you can never go wrong, especially with the kind of weather we're having...but that's not really the point here.

Anyway, I've found the perfect workout for me since the Nike Training Center didn't really work for me - I don't enjoy doing squats and push-ups, okay - and the running thing is not a regular thing because I just have a lot of conditions when it comes to that. Since my Tatay and my brother bought an Xbox, I asked them to get a dance or workout game that I can use. They got me this:

I started yesterday and I got so addicted to it, I probably danced for more than an hour. I love the fact that the music that they used are mainstream ones so everyone can relate to it. There are hiphop beats (Superbass, Nicki Minaj), pop (Call Me Maybe, Carly Rae Jepsen), dance (On The Floor, Jennifer Lopez) and some old school music, too (My First, My Last, My Everything, Barry White)! Livin La Vida Loca is on the line-up, too, but it has a weird dance routine. It's as if they're making fun of Ricky Martin.

Aside from dancing, I've also changed my diet quite a bit. Dinner now consists of a cup of fruits and oats and several glasses of water. Plus, I am limiting my rice - and other sources of carbs, for that matter - intake to one cup per meal (breakfast and lunch). Beef, pork and chicken remain on the diet since I am leaning towards fish lately anyway so I guess it won't cost me much. Beer and other alcoholic beverages will remain part of my diet as well, since I don't consume it on a regular basis. Since I'm not really a fan of sweets, cutting back on it will not be a problem. Chips and McDonald's french fries will be the hardest to give up but as Malia said, disiplina lang. Cutting 'em back to once a month EACH. Guess I've had my fix for both for April.

Official weigh in is at 127lbs. I'm planning to lose at least 17lbs. and to flatten my tummy. Deadline is on my birthday, September 15.

Sigh. Losing weight has never been a problem for me in the past. #AnyareSatin

Wedding-related question...

I am not getting married anytime soon. I am not even in a(n actual) relationship right now but this thought has been "bothering" me these past few nights:

When I get married, should I still wear a white gown?

I know I have pegs posted here before (when I was still ecstatic to get married - but hey, things change) but when I thought about it a couple of days ago, as per the Catholic and practically every tradition known to man, white gowns are worn by virgins and clearly, I am not one.

So... Yeah.

(I'm having a hard time closing blog entries lately, I don't know why.)

Under pressure.

This year, I started thinking of buying my own condo unit. It's kinda crazy for someone whose income is the same as mine... It gets crazier, though: I told myself to get one in 5 year's time. Well, maybe to some it's not that hard because they have good-paying jobs or their parents can actually get them one but I am not that blessed financially.

Anyway, I am now thinking of moving my deadline because I was suddenly struck by the realization that Brianna is turning 3 next year, meaning she has to go to school soon after that. Great, private education has always been - and forever will be - important to me despite what other people (a.k.a. the babydaddy) say so it will be my top priority for the next 20 years (K-12 will last 15 years, right?) meaning if I don't find any place else to get additional - hopefully, passive - income in the next few years, I might as well bid my 2-BR condo unit goodbye. If I marry a multi-millionaire who won't mind living in a condo unit in the South, then that will be an entirely different story.

Right now, though, I am trying to be Miss Independent which is pretty hard for someone with a skill set like mine. I write, sure, but it's not good enough to be published in any well-respected magazine and/or website. I don't have any passion in crafts-making, cooking or baking which can be a great source of income especially during the holidays and working for a corporation isn't really part of the plan. The business thing really is the most interesting one for me but first, I have to save up for capital which brings me back to my initial problem.

Hope I hit the Lotto jackpot so we can all forget my ramblings here.

I don't know if it's a wise idea or not...

I posted this photo in Instagram a few days ago:

I've been reading and re-reading that comment by @inigojohan and now that I think about it, it wasn't such a great idea posting - regramming - this photo in my feed. Why? Well, that @inigojohan user is the babydaddy's sister. Of course, her name isn't Inigo Johan; that's her son's name and I completely forgot that she's following me in Instagram.

Anyway, I don't honestly get those two black thingamabob at the end of her message. Partly the reason why I don't know if she's kidding or if she's serious and whether or not she's mad about it. I mean, I did get mad at one of my brother's exes when she posted on her blog that what my brother gave her was a sale item in Mango (Hello naman kasi, highschool lang kapatid ko nun. Walang mapagkukunan ng malaking pera. Palibhasa kasi siya mayaman -- See? I'm still not over it!).

I was kinda asking for it, though. I mean, I could've taken the photo down when she commented on it but instead, I replied a vague "Hahaha! :)) Di ko alam sasabihin..." I don't care if she told him, anyway. I wouldn't have done that 5 years ago. My, have I grown...

Free Doughnuts

We went to High Street yesterday after our Binondo thrift shopping for snacks. We decided to buy a dozen of Krispy Kreme Mickey Mouse doughnuts when we saw the Mickey Mouse bags. Where do the free doughnuts come in? Well, when you buy the doughnuts while wearing a Mickey Mouse article of clothing - preferably, the shirt - you get a free doughnut. That's what happened to me yesterday. I don't know, though, up to when the promo is and if you need to get a dozen Mickey Mouse doughnuts to avail of the free one.

How we spent Araw ng Kagitingan.

So instead of heading to Subic for a little beach action, we went to Binondo instead and got our shopping on. I was kinda hesitant to bring Brianna along at first because the last time I went to 1-6-8, I got so harassed that I swore never go there again...at least not without a good night's rest and someone I can be all bitchy to when I get tired. This time around, though, I was with my parents and my tita so I thought "Meh, what the hell". What I saw surprised me. The place is actually clean (and wide) enough for me to bring Brianna. Of course, holding onto the kids for dear life is still a requirement since the place was still packed with people but it is good enough to make them walk on their own. Bringing a stroller to 1-6-8 and 9-9-9 Mall, though, will not be a wise idea since the aisles are not that wide. We brought Brianna's but decided last minute not to bring it.

Anyway, it's kinda hard to find parking there if you don't know the place but luckily for us, a friend of Tatay's told him of this new mall beside 1-6-8 called the Lucky Chinatown Mall. It has 7 floors of huge and shiny parking spaces but when we arrived the mall at 9:30am, the parking spaces were already - probably - half full and the mall hasn't opened yet. It has the usual Mango, Adidas and Bon Chon branches where people who are fond of going to malls usually flock to but I had this feeling that people don't really spend time shopping there with 1-6-8 just across the (one-way) street.

I almost died when I started asking for the prices of anything in 1-6-8 and 9-9-9. They're super cheap compared to Greenhills and St. Francis Square! I forgot how cheap everything is there. I cursed myself for not going there before for any kind of shopping (Christmas, baby stuff, birthday gifts, summer, etc) after I've given birth. Clothes I'd usually buy for 500+ in GH only cost me 200 in 1-6-8 and quality sunnies prices start at 180. Even the Trunk Show have lower prices there! The pair of flats which "retails" at 650 I've been eyeing on their Facebook page only costs 200 pesos there. No, they aren't replicas. I mean, they're an online shop who designs their own shoes, for chrissakes.

Believe it or not, I just spent 700 pesos for the following:

• A really cute floral top
• A pair of white leggings
• A Minnie Mouse towel
• Disney Princess stamps
• A Snow White balloon
• A pair of cat's eye sunglasses
• Snacks
• A set of Hello Kitty toiletries

I was supposed to buy this chambray top but they didn't have it in my size. I was also gonna buy Brianna clothes but I didn't like the toddler clothes they sell there. If you're really picky when it comes to baby and toddler clothes, 1-6-8 and 9-9-9 aren't the places you're supposed to be scouring.

By 3pm, we decided to leave because we saw how heavy the traffic situation is outside and we cannot walk on the aisles without bumping onto anyone anymore.

When we were on our way to BGC from Binondo, I was struck by this realization that Manila is actually a beautiful place to walk around in...minus all the hooligans who want to cause harm, of course. So much history and interesting sights to see especially if you actually go to the heart of Manila. Super ganda!

I'll forever want to live in the South...

I know that most people in the South only considers BF Parañaque and Alabang area as South but it isn't so. I am quite annoyed by this but them rich kids want the title all to themselves, making the term "taga-South" leave a quite negative impression (e.g. connio, rich kid, sosyal, Inglisero/a, etc).

Anyway, despite the negative connotation, I still want to live there. I know I said somewhere in this blog that I've changed my mind when it comes to living and building a family in the South but a quick visit to the place brings back all the love I have for the place. I was there last weekend and I've spent time with old friends in a cemetery and I couldn't be happier. We didn't drink nor did we eat but we spent 6 hours talking about anything and everything and smoking the occasional cigarette and I had the grandest time.

Then we went to BF for a family thing Sunday morning and I can't help but get all warm inside while I took in all of the establishments and houses I saw. If you don't know it yet, I've always wanted to live inside that gated community and study in either Beda or Zobel but as you all know, that didn't happen. 15 years after, I still dream to own a house inside BF despite the horrible traffic situation in President's Ave., Aguirre and Elizalde but it's now Brianna I want to send to Zobel or Beda (Manre, Ann Arbor and Marymount are now added to the list because let's admit it: Di na biro magpaaral ng bata ngayon). My tita offering a room in her house for us just adds fuel to the flame.

All of my closest friends are in that area, as well as people I never want to hear of and from again but that doesn't stop me from wanting to grow old there. Now, where to find a man who either lives there or would be willing to live there for the rest of his life?

Hey, You.

Photo from Post Secret

Big.

Still marathon-ing Sex and the City. It's taking me a long time to finish; I need to stay up in the morning meaning nighttime is actually for sleep... Anyway, that's not the point. The point of this post is Big's lips. I can't get enough of 'em!

Yeah. That's it. Bye.

Labels.

Labels have always been important to me. They're there to put people where they need to be and they're there to ensure peace among people involved in a certain situation. It doesn't matter if the label's the other man or woman; it should be clear to everyone so expectations can be reduced and actions (and reactions) can be limited.

I am now in a position where I don't know what my label is, romantic (or lack thereof) relationship-wise. I was girlfriend-fiance-girlfriend-babymommy, if there's such a term-Idon'tknowanymore in a matter of 3 years and the Idon'tknowanymore label is killing me. I don't know if I am still in a committed relationship because we do not talk at all anymore. It might be my fault because I stopped trying but you can't blame me for reaching the limit of my patience...especially for a guy who is as stubborn as the babydaddy.

Anyway, I would really want to know what we are now. It's not that I am itching to go out on a date with another guy (although there are days that I'm this close to asking someone out); it's more of wanting peace of mind. I want to know if I should be expecting anything or if I should be doing something to salvage the relationship if it's still worth saving. Here's the problem, though: I don't want to ask him because when I do, he's going to make me feel like either I'm stupid for asking a question with an obvious answer or that I'm selfish for not taking his feelings into consideration. Yes, whenever we talk, it's always lose-lose for me.

See? This is why I just went "Sorry, bruh" when I ended my previous relationships. It's easier that way. With the babydaddy, though, it's a different ballgame and I don't know how to play it.

Note: I'm sorry for the HIMYM reference yet again and I'm sorry for all the (additional) thoughts in parentheses.