Pole Dancing!?!?

This is the reaction I got from my friends when I told them that I’m planning to enroll for pole dancing class.

But I really wanted to try this type of dance.

Based on Wikipedia:

“Pole dance is a form of performing art; a combination of dance and gymnastics. It involves dancing and performing acrobatic tricks with a vertical pole and is an increasingly popular form of fitness and dance, practiced by many enthusiasts in gyms or dedicated dance studios. A wide range of amateur and professional competitions are held in many countries around the world.

“Pole dance requires significant strength, flexibility and endurance.”

“Proper pole dance involves athletic moves such as climbs, spins, and body inversions. Upper body and core strength are required in order to attain proficiency, and rigorous training is necessary.”

“Pole dance is now regarded as a recognized form of exercise and can be used as both an aerobic and anaerobic workout. Recognized schools and qualifications are now common”

Sounds….F.U.N!!!!

Dancing is not my forte…that’s why I don’t volunteer myself whenever there are dance presentations in the school or even here in the office.

But pole dancing caught my attention, not only because I’ve seen Ciara Sotto’s 22” waistline, but I find it challenging. To tell you the truth, I’m a bit bored working out in the gym. That’s why I invite one of my friends for a run every Sunday in Ayala Triangle. Hopefully this will materialize. I need to shed some pounds before the year ends and to achieve my target waistline of 26 and target weight of 118lbs.

Good luck to that!!!

I’m taking this one step at a time. Let’s see how I will progress in a month, and then I’ll add pole dancing in my weekly schedule. AJA!!!

The Story of Pencil

A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter. At one point he asked:

 ‘Are you writing a story about what we’ve done? Is it a story about me?’

 His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson:

 ‘I am writing about you, actually, but more important than the words is the pencil I’m using. I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.’

 Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn’t seem very special.

 ‘But it’s just like any other pencil I’ve ever seen!’

 ‘That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.’

 ‘First quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us according to His will.’

 ‘Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpener. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person.

 ‘Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.’

 ‘Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.’

 ‘Finally, the pencil’s fifth quality: it always leaves a mark. in just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action’

Source: Like the Flowing River by Paulo Coelho

 

Problems = Blessings

May times, we act like eigth-year-old kids when problems come our way.

We fuss, fume and frown at the daily difficulties - not knowing that a few years later, many of these problems will become our greatest blessings!

(Bo Sanchez - How to be Really Really Really Happy!)

Box of Chocolates

Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.

being strong...

It's fun being strong.

You feel invinsible, like you can face anything that comes your way.

But you know what sucks being one?

It's when people know that you're strong and they think it's okay to hurt you.

A Carrot, An Egg and a Cup of Coffee

A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee...You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up, She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil.. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.'

'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother?'

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently.. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting... However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

"The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches."

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

simple pleasures for my nails...

Last saturday, I went to Going Straight Salon at Robinsons Pioneer to get my nails done. It's only 10:30am and I am second on the list, so instead of waiting...I went for a quick grocery.

After 20 minutes, I'm back and Ate Jenny start attending to my nails. I chose french tip and the new "sexy pink" nail polish. Here's the end product:

(classic and chic)

(sexy pink)

Bucketlist#1: Pilgrimage to Israel

I think I need a vacation!!!

It has been a roller coaster ride for me and I am now longing for a long vacation and rest. But where?...when?...

I was transferred to a new team and my boss told me that long vacations are discouraged because of the critical activities that need to be completed this year. Transition from one system to another and the change in the organizational structure is the total meaning of “critical” for me.

I accepted the new role because I thought I will be in “cloud nine” forever, and that no matter how difficult the work is, I will still be happy because I have him. Have you experience the feeling that you can face and handle anything and no one can ruin your day…that is because you’re happy and you’re inspired…you’re in love!…I was like that five months ago. But…I made a mistake.

Moving on…..

Yesterday, I received an email about the pilgrimage to Israel that Bo Sanchez is organizing for February 2012. I inquired about the details but I was shocked to know that the cost would be $3000 + more.

OMG! Where can I get money for this? Attending a pilgrimage to Israel is one of my “ambitious” dreams, given the chance and the resources; I’ll definitely enlist myself for this.

These days I could barely survive with the amount of salary I’m receiving from being a corporate slave and it seems impossible for me to achieve this dream of mine yet.

But I’m not losing hope…I still have 6 days to go before the first installment. I pray that GOD sends me an angel who could sponsor me on this trip. If only HE will it to happen, I believe it will happen.

For the meantime…I think saving some of my money would be a good choice for now…just in case, this trip will materialize.

I may be crazy for thinking it might happen…but hey, it’s my dream…and I’ll think and do whatever it takes to make it happen, so help me GOD.