The World is my Playground

Photo by Vanessa David

This poem is written by my grandfather Vicente F. David and he was awarded “One of the Best Poets of 2004″ by the International Library of Poetry (based in Maryland, USA) for this poem. Check it out on http://www.poetry.com/Publications/display.asp?ID=P6195425&BN=ABO&PN=1

The poetry was also cited as an “Editor’s Pick” for the same year. In a series of anthologies the organization has published, the poem is noted as describing the author’s foster homeland in vivid visual and lyrical forms. The poem has also been made available in audio-recorded form (CD)

To my foster homeland, this poem is heartily dedicated.
“Her people is my people”

Sibale the beautiful, isle of the eastern sea,
Thou stand majestically above the sparkling waters
Washed for centuries by the rising and ebbing tides
Yonder stand solitary rocks
Curved with tell-tale signs by the passing of time.

On thy white beaches blow the gentle breea,
Bringing sweet scent of freshness from the ocean blue
Caressed by the gentle waves softly whispering sweet lullabies
To thy infant sons and daughters born free
Destined to fade or curve a name for thy fame and glory.

O Sibale! cradle of love and beauty,
Home sweet home of gentle and godly people
Where sunbeams kiss the silvery morning dew
Spread standing aloft over the sparkling sea.

Wither tho I go my beloved motherland,
I will bear witness to thy immortal grace
As sons and daughters beholden with fond memories
Of your familiar sweet loving embrace
From now till time rings out for a call to the great beyond
I will forever sing Sibale the Beautiful

This made my day today! Our company has its monthly Theme Friday today and it's all about Independence day. Uhmm we're specifically told to wear heroes costumes but it's my restday today and I wasn't really sure if I want to come so I didn't prepare for anything to wear. I decided to go at the last minute and just wore my red Allstars shirt and a blue pants. I told them I am the Flag! ahahaha.

I took lots of photos earlier and if you want to check it out, it's in my multiply page. Allstars has a multiply page where they post photos of people wearing the shirt and I sent a message about mine. After just a minute, I got a reply from them and they have put my photo in their album!

It's sooo cool!

Anyways..if you don't know who the group AllStars is, they won the 2006 World HipHop Championship and is a very tough yearly contender in that competition! Check out their vids in youtube. They definitely rock it!

I love them because they're also very God-centered. Their friendster shoutout says "we're number 2, coz He'll always be number 1!"

And this is from their about me page:

Allstars is a filipino based dance group originally made up of 12 young and talented performers known for its authentic hiphop and RnB flava which combines different styles of urban grooves to its international status. The group puts breakdancing, pop lockin', freestyling, krump, old school and new school in the mix. Each member contributes to the solid foundation thru their own inviduality and style. Allstars started as close knit friends coming from different backgrounds and was formed for the 4th World Hip Hop Championships held in Los Angeles, California where they placed 6th out of 26 other competing teams. Last year, Allstars put Philippines on the map when they won the GOLD in the 2nd International Hip Hop Open D'Italia in Torino, Italy last June & the 5th World Hip Hop Championships in Redondo Beach, California last July 29, 2006. They continue and hope to positively improve the country's standards in the entertainment industry by spreading their knowledge and awareness thru the art of dancing. Allstars are featured in many events, concerts, tours, TV guestings, commercials, music videos and print ads.

Their page is here: http://allstars2005.multiply.com/. Check it out! :)

If there is one thing that has helped me lose weight, it's actually paying attention to the calories that I eat. A sure fire way of losing weight is to eat less than what your body needs to burn. So, first thing you need to do is to check how much your body needs. It depends on your height, weight and the activities that you do in a day. An average female needs about 2,000 calories daily. According to this calculator, I need about 1,600 calories to maintain my current weight. Now, to lose weight, I'd need to consume less than that and burn more by exercising. (To lose one pound, a person must burn 3,500 calories more than are consumed - 500 calories per day over the course of a week).



Here's just a few tips of what I've done to slim down: ( I actually got a few things on the list from a magazine)



1. Stop drinking calories - Do you know how much calories there are on softdrinks and juices? A can of coke has 143 calories, a 12 oz Iced tea has about 105 calories, and a Mocha Frappe Venti w/o whipped cream has 380 calories! Since I needed to save those calories for food, I just drank water or if Im really craving for something sweet, I'd drink Coke Light. My friends do enjoy hanging out in Starbucks and it's not as if I want to kill my social life and deprive myself of coffee entirely so I'd compromise and allow myself a tall cup of Mocha Frappe Light which only has 105 calories or better yet, I just get a grande sized hot green tea with honey.



2. Cut back elsewhere when you overeat - Once in a while when I eat out in a fastfood and had a big lunch, or just when I know I've eaten something that is very high in calorie, I'd make up for it by having a small dinner or exercising for some extra minutes to make up for the calories.

3. Make exercise work for you - At home, our threadmill is in front of the tv so that we can exercise while watching and not think about how long we've been walking on it. I also have my rubber mat, dumbbells, and stability ball in front of the tv so I can exercise while watching Gossip girl or the latest Korean drama. Haha. I don't sit in our sofa anymore, I'd usually sit in my stability ball and do crunches during commerical breaks or do hip circles while watching.

4. Find a diet buddy - I was able to motivate one of my friends to lose weight and together we'd talk about diet tips. I also found out one friend of mine who is into marathons. I asked if I can go with her and she had me join their organization. We had planned to join a marathon this coming weekend and I also asked her if I can join her when she jogs aroung the UP Oval. I can't wait for the marathon! One thing more, my brothers have also lost weight through diet and exercise and now, both of them are into muay thai, I plan to try it one of these weekends as well. :) It should be really cool!

5. Eat anything - but in moderation - I do indulge myself with my favorite foods once in a while - I can't possible give up on dark chocolates, blueberry cheesecake, vanilla ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, and other junk foods! Having three bites of cheesecake won't hurt but eating a whole cake will! So what I do is portion control. I allow myself to enjoy but I do set limits as to how much I eat. As they say..Everthing in moderation!

6. Look at the serving size - The Nutrition Facts panel has the serving size and the number of servings per package. Make sure that you are comparing what you eat to what the serving size is. A large bag of chips usually has about 3 servings or a cup per serving. So if you eat a whole bag, then you'd need to multiply the calories to 3. What I do to prevent overeating is to get the smallest size bag that they have available or share the whole bag to all my friends.

7. Never starve yourself - I don't let myself go hungry. This just puts the body in starvation mode and lowers the metabolism therefore making it harder to lose weight. I usually just have 2 - 3 meals and a light snack in between, at 2-3 hour intervals. Snacking on a small pack of happy nuts or other 100 calorie packs help me stave off hunger in between meals.

8. Write down what you eat - My nutritionist before asked me to write down everything that I ate in a day and then at the end of the week, she'd check it to see if I was able to stay on my needed calorie intake. This is a great way of seeing exactly what, where, and when I've eaten and helps me to balance my food intake.

I found some sites which has calorie information and nutrition data of everyday foods as well as popular fast food menus.

Check out this out!
http://www.calorieking.com/
http://www.thecaloriecounter.com/

You probably have seen KC Concepcion in her Metro Cover, Enervon ads, and Bayo billboards scattered around the Metro by now. Notice how trim she is now? She's actually one of my inspirations in really focusing on my goal to lose weight just in time for summer. Haha, it's my dream to pose like that in the beach. (which I did do by the way! When my friends were not looking, I asked one friend to go with me and dragged her towards the farthest end of the beach to take some shots. Lol)

How did KC do it? Through the proven and effective way of eating the right foods and working out :)

Here's an article from the Inquirer about her fab new bod:

MABUHAY!
KC, sexy, cool
By Jenni Epperson
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:56:00 03/06/2008
Most Read
MANILA, Philippines—Fans have been abuzz about KC Concepcion’s new rock-hard body that is all set for the skin-baring summer.

Gone are the last layers of baby fat, now replaced by cuts, abs and muscles that would give Cameron Diaz a run for her money.

The secret behind her fab new bod? A lot of discipline and focus.

KC says she is a disciple of the South Beach Diet, which she has adhered to for months. She’s been snacking on Florabel’s dried mushroom chips, she tanks up on green tea and even malunggay juice! KC is also a pesco-vegetarian, so even her diet is tailor-made for her.

Of course, a good diet works best with exercise, and KC has been doing regular dance workouts with Douglas Nierras. But before you think she’s gone totally cornflake bohemian on us, she does indulge once in a while on Veuve Cliquot. In fact, she popped a bottle after this shoot to share with everyone on the beach.

KC’s love affair with the Bayo label can only get hotter in the coming months. She continues to be the perfect poster girl for Bayo, reflecting its clean, classic, laid-back image yet with lots of style and substance.

“KC is such a joy to work with. We love her just as much as she loves Bayo. And as we’ve said over and over again, we feel so lucky to have her on board. We thank the heavens for such a blessing,” says Bayo owners Cor Bitong and Lyn Agustin.

Bayo’s summer collection is all about explosive colors. Look for a lot of tomato-reds, daffodil-yellows, denim-blues, lilacs, blush-pinks and wild-greens. Add to that nautical details like stripes and color blocks as an anchor element.

Other trends to watch out for are chiffon florals for cover-ups, either in long flowing beach gowns or short kaftans and tunics. Colored jeans and shorts are usually topped with Bayo’s signature graphic tees.

Summer dressing in the city, meanwhile, involves cropped colored cardigans paired with colorful jeans or long cotton dresses.

The Megastar’s daughter is the perfect summer muse to show off Bayo’s bikinis, which come in green, yellow and gray with metal ring details. KC spells sexy.

E-mail the author at jfashion@inquirer.com.ph

http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/...0/KC-sexy-cool

I'm also into South Beach, green tea, and dancing (uhmm mine's just in front of the mirror) and have yet to try the malunggay juice. I wonder how that would taste! Should I go to our backyard tomorrow, gather some leaves and dump it in the blender? Hehehe let's see..

I've been drinking green tea everyday for several months now. I'm not talking about the powdered tea you can buy in groceries (that's so loaded with sugar!) or the bottled ones. I'm talking about the loose tea leaves and tea bags that you actually steep in hot water.


Studies show that green tea burns fat faster as it has a thermogenic effect. It produces heat in the body that results in fat burning. It also initiates faster metabolism causing the body to burn fat at a faster rate. It also has anti-oxidants that can prevent cancer, plus so much more benefits. You can google it and read more about the health benefits of drinking tea :)


At home, I use the loose leaf tea. It actually tastes better than tea bags. I drink it without sugar, or sometimes I put in a teaspoon of honey to make it a bit sweeter. I also drink it at work, teabags are better because it is handy plus I usually use 1 tea bag twice. Just don't let it steep for more than three minutes as it will taste bitter.


I think drinking green tea takes some time getting used to. Specially if you don't put sugar in it. Hehe. What I usually do is buy teas with added flavor in it. Lipton has peppermint and lemon green tea. A bit pricier is Twinings. It comes in a box of 20 tea bags and 5 different flavors. You can also try the ones you can buy in Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. It tastes great as well plus it's really smells good. I love their strawberry flavored and japanese cherries green tea. :)

I usually drink it hot and sugarless, but sometimes I steep it in just a little bit of hot water then pour in ice and cold water plus some sugar substitute or honey to spice it up. In a day, I drink about 4-6 cups of green tea (2-3 tea bags in a day)





On another note, I just want to share what I found online. I've always loved the Iced Tea in Wendy's. It's a recipe for their tea:



1 big glass of water (1/4 hot)
1 Lipton tea bag normal flavor
1 Lipton Green tea bag
1 lemon
Sugar (or sugar substitute)
Ice cubes

Aside from the usual workout using the weights and the machines in the gym, I also enjoyed attending group classes. I used to be a Fitness First member and there are a lot of classes you can choose from. I used to do BodyJam, Body Combat, BodyBalance, BodySteps, BodyPump, RPM, TaiChi, Yoga and Pilates. Each class usually last about an hour and you don't usually notice that the time has passed because it's fun and really engaging. You also get to meet a lot of new friends. I missed this when I decided to end my membership at around the same time I resigned from work. I really didn't want to end it, I've been going for a few years and I liked how you can go to any of their clubs scattered around the metro and in malls. The free brewed coffee, internet access, sauna and steam room are a plus. The gym is a place I go to to destress after work and thinking about not going there anymore was a thought I really hated but had to do because I need to be practical. I could't afford to pay around 2,500 a month if I don't have work.

Cardio exercises are really what helps burn fat so I have to think of ways to get my heart rate up aside from the classes I used to do. I've used up all the dance moves I know dancing in front of the mirror with the door of the bedroom locked. (Couldn't let anyone else see me doing crazy dance moves so I had to keep the door locked. Lol) and it has gotten a bit boring so I decided to go look for some exercise DVDs in the ever-famous land of DVDs -- Carriedo.

While looking at endless selections of DVDs they have available, something caught my attention. Shaun T.'s smiling face and half naked body showing off his 6-pack abs while grooving to some HipHop music seems to be calling me. I know I got to have it!

As soon as I went home, I put the DVD in the player and Im instantly hooked! I can still hear Shaun T saying tilt, tuck,and tighten your abs! His dvd set has 4 workouts that gets you grooving to the latest HipHop music while burning fat and some ab sculpting moves that really works out and target your upper and lower abs and obliques. Mine was really sore afterwards and I can see the outline of my ab muscles hiding beneath the layers of fat in my belly. Hahaha. This is really a fun workout I tell yah! Better get one, you won't regret it.

My friends and I sometimes go clubbing during Saturday nights and one of them also had a copy of this workout and so we were being crazy and using Shaun T.'s Saturday Night Fever moves on the dancefloor. It was really fun, you can really use his groovy moves on the dancefloor. :-)

Look at Ellen deGeneres doing the workout!