Work is a big distraction....

... with four days to go before our big holiday!

We have been planning this big African getaway since March, and now that we're really close to boarding that plane, I am just demotivated to do anything. Anything. I'm groaning now as I type this, and this isn't even part of my work.

It's just the whole office vibe. Mostly awfully quiet, with the occasional sound of the photocopier and a few people exchanging niceties in the hallway. And the white walls seem more depressing than clean today.

Aaanyway. I need to be busy and productive for the next four days so that they don't drag on and I feel more deserving of our big escapade.

Can't waaaait!

But must.

How to De-Stress (Without Spending A Fortune)

I've managed to look for ways to relax without spending money.
I realized that having less money adds to my stress, so I had to stop crazy-purchasing useless stuff or going out to buy myself an expensive cup of coffee just to have something to do or somewhere nice and quiet to hang out at.
These are some of the things I do to ride my body and mind of stress, and the best part?
They're all free of charge.
Or very, very cheap.

1. Get a plant and take good care of it. Liam and I have three plants, and one of them, Burnie, needs constant watering and lots of sunlight. I water it every day and it's so amazing to see new leaves crawling out of the stems. I love it. It was less than a foot short when we got it from an obscure plant shop in Satwa, and now it's grown over two feet high. Knowing that I am nurturing a living thing and keeping it alive and healthy makes me feel good.

2. Keep a journal. I've kept a diary since I was eleven years old, and it's done a good job at keeping me sane, stopping me from saying nasty things to people I despise, and holding on to the millions of deep, dark and embarrassing secrets I've accumulated over the years. It's extremely therapeutic. It's just like having your own shrink, but it won't talk back, which is in many ways a plus. Don't worry about getting your grammar right or writing beautifully. Just let rage, desire, humor, or whatever it is you're feeling glide smoothly on the pages of your new diary.

3. Make a list of things to do. It's a very helpful thing, especially if you're feeling overwhelmed by all the tasks you need to do all at once. It can range from simple errands like buying a detergent or important reminders such as renewing your car's registration. Stick to the list, and every time you accomplish an item on it, cross it out. It's one of the best feelings in the world. It's improving your life one task at a time.

4. Block out a few hours to make time for your very own home spa session. Here's a great set of treatments that doesn't require you to go out and buy beauty products or tools to get your spa on:

Facial scrub - a teaspoon of brown and a few drops of extra virgin olive oil. The sugar will exfoliate and get your skin to glow, and the olive oil will moisturize it.

Face mask. Oatmeal. One tablespoon of any kind of oats, mix with hot water. When it's cool enough to put on your face, do it.

Hair mask. Massage it with olive oil and rinse.

Foot spa. Dip your feet in a basic that contains warm water and two to three green tea bags for 30 minutes. Watch TV, talk on the phone, have a nap. Chill. Then scrub with coarse salt and a few drops of extra virgin olive oil, and rinse.

That's it. You're de-stressed and not broke. That easy.

My Favorite Eva Mendes Looks

(photos from People.com, thefrisky.com and other random sites on the web!)

My 30th Birthday

... was simple, fun, and meaningful.

First of all, I had three days off because of the Eid holidays, and I had a great time watching TV, watering Burnie (our plant), Skyping with Mama and Zoe and going to the gym with Fifi.

I also fried eggs - my first perfect ones.

Celebration-wise, there was none. But I did have dinner with Fifi on the eve of my birthday. Her gift was the laptop case I was eyeing at Bloomingdale's last month. I had never known Fifi to spend like a baws, so that was a big pleasant surprise! Thank, Layds!

On my birthday, I picked Liam up from work and we went to Meydan, where we had drinks at the Millenium Lounge and Shiba Bar, and had the best steak in the whole universe at Prime Steakhouse. It blew our minds.

We went home to watch more TV. I didn't have to wake up early the next day, and that was a big bonus.

I totally downplayed my turning 30. That's the way all seemingly scary things should be faced, I guess.

I don't really know if I as scared to turn 30 in the first place, but I guess that's what we read and see and hear.

One big shrug.

Quick Fixes for a Stubborn Tummy

Constipation is nothing to be ashamed of. It's normal. It happens to everyone.

It's the symptoms that are awfully embarrassing and can ruin your life.

Bloated? Not fitting into your dress on the day of your friend's wedding can make you a grumpy bridesmaid. 

Belching at a romantic dinner can drive a potential mate away, and will crush your dreams of eventually becoming a bride yourself.

And since being clogged up is sometimes manifested through irritability, severe constipation will possibly drive your friends away, at which point you can say good bye to even becoming a bridesmaid.

Constipation ruins lives. So stop it with these tried and tested quick fixes that I swear by:

Isabgol seeds were first introduced to me by Sonia, my former executive producer at my old job and a very good friend of mine to date.

It works every time. Mix two heaping teaspoons of this stuff with lukewarm water and drink. The taste is not unpleasant, but it's no mojito either.
The texture is similar to that of raw sesame seeds, and it smells like plants.

Drink the concoction at night. Pinch you nose, close your eyes and imagine you are in the middle of a lush garden when chugging it down.

Wake up the next morning and reap the rewards in the toilet.

For months I walked past the yogurt section in the supermarket because I went dairy-free last February. That was my sacrifice for Lent. It turned out to be a brilliant thing for weight loss and overall health, but now I am opening my door (or gut) to one dairy product:

Fat-free yogurt. Fat-free, organic, with as little sugar as possible. It restores balance in the gut flora by releasing good bacteria or probitoics. It's very similar to Yakult, which has lactobacillus. But Yakult is way too sweet for me to have every day. Bad bacteria feed on sugar, so you don't want too much of it.  Onken's sugar content is negligible, and this big tub lasts days. 

Have it with some Ryvitas or your favorite fruit.

Need I say more? Many are familiar with the benefits of green tea. I honestly thought it had no effect on me, but I kept drinking it anyway to keep me full and stop me snacking on butter biscuits and sea salt chips.

This Ramadan, I had to temporarily kick my 5-cups a day tea habit, and noticed a big difference. 

It could be a psychological thing, it could be for real. But my digestive system seems to love green tea so I will keep drinking it.

Many people swear by this. And it does work if adopted as a morning ritual. Lemon and warm water is a healthy way to start the day. It supposedly eliminates toxins from the day before before they build up and make you sick. And it's loaded with Vitamin C.

Fifi, Sonia and Gwyneth Paltrow do it.

I sometimes forget to, mainly because we sometimes don't have lemons. Back home, where lemons are scarce and costly, I use calamansi. I love it. Drinking warm calamansi ale is never a chore for me.

Okay so there. Four natural, cheap and easy solutions to end constipation.

Yours truly, 

The Poop Expert

IHYPE on IHOP

Yes, IHOP is coming to Dubai and I cannot wait.
I know, I can make waffles and pancakes and fry some eggs next to a pile of crispy bacon in the comfort of our kitchen.
But there's nothing like sitting back and watching a waiter balance a tray on which a big plate of lard, salt and sugar wobble nervously and walk to my table.
It's not having billions of dollars in an offshore bank account that makes you a king.
It's having someone make incredible breakfast for you without moving a single muscle.
And all for a few dirhams.

The downside? I will feel guilty immediately after I finish my plate.
Then I'll go on the treadmill and feel unworthy of being on a treadmill.
It's a sick cycle, my friend.

A sick, pancake-shaped cycle.

Maid Wars - Hong Kong

Fiestang Pinoy

Did a quick VO for Fiestang Pinoy, a new Filipino restaurant in Dubai.
Here's a quick link to the TVC: http://vimeo.com/47640237

Heart-breaking story of a landslide survivor

I am not sure what I was doing wrong, but this video won't embed here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKNPW-nzrbU&feature=player_embedded

But I felt compelled to share this, and so I appeal to you to simply click on the link.

A very personal, real and saddening account of a hard-working father who lost most of his children and grandchildren in a recent landslide in Commonwealth, Quezon City.

www.allaweb.com

My deepest gratitude to the author of this book, for writing about something that people have been doing since work environments started to exist.. 

But none of us have actually admitted to committing it.

So I guess the writer's just poo-ting it out there.

A fun iftar with Slava and Rula

Ramadan Around The World - Russia | My Dubai My City

Slava makes meat cutlets and a classic Russian soup for me and her best friend Rula.

:)

Celia Rodriguez and Trudis Liit

Crispy Pork Belly and Mashed Apples and Potatoes

 Dripping with fat, oozing with flavor.

 Mashed apples and potatoes

 Heto na siya. Winner!

I got Fifi to eat pork! Dun na lang eh. Sukatan na eh.

I'm so happy! I tried to make crispy pork belly, and it was a complete success! My two favorite people in the whole universe, Liam and Fifi, also attested to my uncanny ability to turn a slab of pork into a delectable Anglo-Sino culinary masterpiece.

Homely, savory, flavorful and just aesthetically awesome.

The truth is, many Pinoys know how to cook this. But since my first time was a huge success and it was sooo much better than what I had expected, I am celebrating this like a victory that no one has ever enjoyed. 

I asked them again and again if it was good, and their answer was a resounding yes! So I guess they were telling the truth and not trying to be nice. I have low kitchen self-esteem, but I believe that's gonna change soon.

Kidnap-A-Wifery

 

Hey guys!

Learned something new today.

In Kyrgyztan, it is acceptable for men to kidnap girls and make them their wives.

Men revived this practice rooted in pre-Soviet culture when the the union collapsed.

It is not only taken lightly. Celebrations ensue after a girl is kidnapped.

The girl's parents even show up as a sign that they are accepting the boy's "proposal".

Who would have thought?

Ramadan Around The World - Kerala | My Dubai My City

Ramadan Around The World - Kerala | My Dubai My City

This is a lovely episode. I thoroughly enjoyed the food and the company!
Ahmed and Maryam were great, and so was the feast they prepared.

Help yourself to some self-help reading.

While my preferred literary genre of choice is autobiography or anything factual and informative, I do like to read some fiction. I find it therapeutic to ingrain made-up images in my mind a few minutes before I go to bed.

And then there are those rare times spent buying and reading self-help books. The whole thought of purchasing a book with the end goal of improving your personality or strengthen your character is not something to be embarrassed about. But it really depends on the book, what it wants to tell you, and why you're reading it in the first place.

Here are a few self-help books I once displayed proudly on my bedside table. 

1. SKINNY BITCH. It's really a no-nonsense, tough-love guide to just being sensibly healthy. It's an easy read, no scientific jargon which I'm allergic to, and not preachy at all. It helped me realize that I was pumping my body with loads of unhealthy stuff. The authors use harsh language that would make a fat girl want to change her ways, or kill herself. 

It's an amazing way to kick start a lifelong commitment to eating healthily, taking care of yourself and being in charge in the kitchen. Suddenly you want to use natural ingredients and whip up a great meal without all the oils and sugars and fats. 

I read it back in 2009, and it made me skinny. I read it three years later, when I had stopped smoking and significantly reduced my dairy intake, and it helped me again. I will always revisit its pages.

2. EASY WAY TO STOP SMOKING. I read the first 75 pages of it, and realized there was nothing in it that could make me stop smoking. I knew smoking was disgusting. I knew it was a bad habit. I knew it could kill me. But I was addicted and I didn't know how to put down that cigarette. I don't think there are special methods used in this book. It's just complete common sense, and I wasn't ready to wrap my head around the actual act of quitting at the time I read it.

Many people - maybe in the millions - have read it and they swear by it. They quit successfully, and they rave about how the book changed their lives. That's great. But it didn't do anything for me.

Last year, three years after attempting to read this book, I quit smoking. I quit because I couldn't bare the thought of lighting up while many of my family members were suffering from illnesses. The least I could do was stay healthy for them. Yup. Cold turkey from the heart.

3. BOOSTING SELF ESTEEM FOR DUMMIES.  Lent to me my a friend who couldn't get over a break up that left his ego on the middle of Sheikz Zayed Road, repeatedly run over by Range Rovers.

He felt it necessary to share this with me, as I was on the crossroads of something in my life at that time. 

I read the first few pages. It was like a book for sociology or psychology students. Lots of lists and exercises and Venn diagrams. It threatened to crush what was left of my self-esteem.

I realized that buying a dress, putting some make up on and a night out with the girls beat this book any day. And until now I apologize to myself for laying my hands on it.

4. SIMPLIFY AND LIVE THE GOOD LIFE. Did it help me? Ish. The jury is still out on this one. 

I read this when I was still living in Manila and wondering what to do with my life. With a salary that didn't enable me to make plans for the future, and bad life priorities, I don't think I maximized the tips in this book.

Bo Sanchez is brilliant and has helped a lot of people. Maybe I should read the book again to really absorb what it says. It's a good time to sort my finances and think about how to live a modest lifestyle. I don't have much as it stands, but it's good to soul-search and look at every area of my life once in a while to see where I'm at.

He offers great ways to save money, nurture your spiritual life and take it easy. I'm sure we all get the message. And a printed version of it to serve as a reminder isn't a bad idea.

Self-help books are not a bad idea. Admitting that you need a bit of help and the will to make a change are a sign of genuine strength and great humility. If you open a book and you like what it says and it eventually helps you, that's awesome. If not, bin in, give it to someone else, or let it end up at a flea market, where it can potentially transform the happy buyer's life.

A must for dairy-free dieters...and wannabes like me!

I didn't think it was possible for the the universe to come up with such a brilliant invention.

People like me who try so hard to live a healthy life but are easily tempted by the demons of the food world deserve a break. And not by having a KitKat.

I came across this brand when I was getting provisions for the dinner party I was in charge of. I was going to make caramelized banana with vanilla ice cream.

This is what I ended up buying. Gluten, cholesterol and dairy free. No genetically modified ingredients. Made with real raspberries and soy milk.
Creamy, smooth, versatile. It sits perfectly on top of the caramelized banana, like it was in the original recipe. It's ice cream. Just not the sinful kind.

And our guests LOVED it. Bonus: It's easy on the pocket. It's not going to cost you an arm, but it'll preserve it by helping you avoid diabetes, a gross and fatal disease that sometimes causes people to get their aims amputated. Yes, I came up with that 360 degree insight.

Aaaaanyway, thank God for Swedish Glace!

A real face and budget stretcher

Finally! 

A daytime moisturizer that glides on smoothly, offers ample sun protection, and doesn't grease up my face.

Magazines and websites always say that the best moisturizers are pricey and can only be bought from high-end stores. Well, I picked up L'Oreal Revitalift off the shelves of Waitrose and it's around 60 Dirhams. That's less than $15 and around Php650. Not bad for months of moisture and sun protection.

And it is proving to be the best moisturizer ever.

And believe me, I've tried loads.

Nu Skin was great, but too expensive.

Bioderma was greasy.

Yoko was too cheap not effective at all.

But Revitalift.... it is a revelation.

As I speak, it moisturizers my face and protects it from the sun, air conditioning and other external elements including evil spirits.

It's really a godsend. 

Update on the Filipino dinner: It was perfect! My culinary blunders turned out to be blessings in disguise.
Looking forward to making more dinners!