Ordinary Weekends

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We do not have big things planned this weekend. And that's all right.

 

Our weekends start slowly on Friday with an early date with my husband.  That is usually followed by a movie date at home with the kids when they can sleep a little past their usual bedtime. Saturday and Sundays are filled with the kids' extra-curricular activities, church and visits to the mall.  We pretty much have a standard weekend routine. Nothing grand unless we are invited to an event or we're celebrating an occasion. But that's perfectly all right. We thrive on routine and celebrate the ordinary.  

 

You see, there will come a day when the kids will have their own families and spending time together means having to schedule an appointment. Those are the days when these lazy weekends will become a sacred memory. I would hate to look back and wish I that I had paid more attention to the ordinary days. Cherish the season and enjoy the moment.

 

I'd like to end this post by sharing an excerpt from Katrina Kenison's book "The Gift of an Ordinary Day".  

 

"The bookshelf in my own living room is full of photo albums, nearly twenty years worth of well-documented birthday cakes and holidays,  piano recitals and Little League games.  But the memories I find myself sifting through the past to find, the ones that I’d give anything now to relive, are the ones that no one ever thought to photograph, the ones that came and went as softly as a breeze on a summer afternoon.

 

It has taken a while, but I certainly do know it now–the most wonderful gift I had, the gift I’ve finally learned to cherish above all else, was the gift of all those perfectly ordinary days."

 

Here's to a beautiful ordinary weekend.  TGIF!

 

 

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My Journey to 10k

DC Comics Run 2015

One of my fitness goals this year is to run a 10k. While I cannot claim to be a marathoner or a professional runner, it will be a fitness achievement for me. Baby steps, if you will. Who knows, maybe next year's goal will be half a marathon.

I have been physically active for as long as i can remember. In college, when funds were tighter, going up and down 10 floors in my cousin's condominium building was my workout. During summer vacations, my cousin and i would sometimes swim in Manila Hotel, where my uncle was a member, and hit the gym for a good 5 minutes before breaking a sweat in the Sauna which we felt was the actual work out after all.

As soon as I got a job, I saved up to buy a lifetime membership in the most popular gym at that time (yep, to all of you lifetime members, you know what am talking about).  I tried to maximize my membership by working out twice a day. Am not kidding. I would go to the gym at 6 in the morning and workout for an hour. Go home, take a shower, and report for work. During lunch breaks, I would go to the same gym franchise near our office and workout for another hour.

The year I got married, I started boxing. I worked out every morning before going to work and did not miss a day from Monday to Friday. The heavy workout plus the stress of planning for the wedding resulted in a 94 lbs me (I'm 5'2" so that's generally okay). 
 

A year later I got pregnant and stopped working out all together. Three babies and five years later, I was starting to feel unfit and generally sluggish. I decided to start slowly and did Pilates almost every day during my lunch breaks. I did it regularly for a while until a Yoga studio opened near our office.  Curiousity got the better of me and so I tried it and have been practicing Yoga for more than 3 years now. 


3k DC Comics Run

Last December I felt that while Yoga was helping me gain strenth and flexibility, I missed the intensity of cardiovascular workouts. So i decided to enroll in a gym and ran the treadmill about 3 times a week. Now here's one thing that is important for you to know about me. While i have been working out regularly, i am not good at running.  Back in college I practically begged our PE teacher to make me the scorer in our Softball class because i couldn't run from one base to the next.  I felt awkward when i run and never had the stamina for it.  So when I started running the treadmill I could not even continously run for 5 minutes. I'd get so tired immediately after. I decided to start with a mix of walk and run intervals for 2km every workout and slowly built it up. I was already running 3km comfortably when my friends invited me to join them in the Nike 10k run. I was starting to love the idea of running and signed up without much thought. Once we've officially joined the race, I started wondering if i can indeed finish a 10km within a reasonable amount of time. "Reasonable" meaning that the organizer is not yet packing up by the time I arrive at the Finish line. :P

5k Color Manila Run

I had a little over a month to up my game from 3km to 10km. The first time i tried to run a 5km in the gym, I almost fainted. Seriously. It was probably the heat and I was severly dehydrated. After that I learned to hydrate prior to my workout and avoid black tea and coffee as well.

I am now actively running 5km to 7km three times a week (or more) and have already joined my first 3k and 5k run last weekend. I will end this post with some pictures from my past two fun runs. I will update you again once I achieve my 10k goal five days. Let's do this!

Color Manila Run 2015

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Anvaya Cove Beach and Nature Club, Philippines

“Anvaya” means “family” in the ancient Sanskrit language...that's the first thing that you will read when you visit Anvaya Cove's main website (http://www.anvayacove.com/) and that's also how you will feel the moment you enter the resort. The place is very serene and kid-friendly.  And the people working there are all so kind and courteous.  It does feel like family.

Early last year our family visited Anvaya once again. Though it wasn't my first time to go there, it was my first time to stay overnight. My dad got us adjacent Lagoon Terrace rooms which i highly recommend. All their rooms are located in an area separate from the clubhouse. If the weather permits, a walk to the room is always enjoyable. You'll find yourself surrounded by lakes and parks which is almost a rarity in the busy Metro Manila.  December to February are the most ideal months to visit since the weather is nice and cool. On hotter months, you can always opt to take the golf cart back to the room. They have plenty waiting by the lobby so you almost never have to wait.

I'd like to share some pictures with you. Most pictures were taken during our visit.

Taking the golf cart to back to our room

Watching the ducks swim by the pond

Trying to catch the worms on an early morning

Enjoying the lounge bed in front of our Lagoon Terrace rooms 

Receiving area of the Lagoon Terrace

They also have a SPA that i will try next time. Photos below are taken from the Anvaya website.

The Spa rooms

This is where you can get foot massages

Group massage

I am definitely looking forward to our next visit to Anvaya. It's the perfect weekend getaway for the family.

Check out the map below for the best way to go to Anvaya (via SCTEX).

Learn more about how to visit Anvaya Cove by visiting their site: http://www.anvayacove.com

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