Darkness is a beautiful thing

Darkness has long been associated with evil, but for one hour last night, it was a symbol of collective good and of a whole world wanting to make a positive change. Hour by hour, a strip of the earth--one time zone--shut off or dimmed its lights, a resounding "no" vote against global warming.

For our part, H and I switched off the lights in the garage and living area. We watched B movies while we were enveloped in darkness, and I eventually dozed off. He gently shook me awake a while later to inform me that Earth Hour was over.

I think the whole appeal of Earth Hour is that it's pretty easy--by doing something as simple as flicking off a switch, you become part of a bigger effort to save Mother Earth. It's proof that saving the planet, much like acts of kindness, doesn't have to mean grand gestures; it's all about little acts coming together to produce astounding results.

So switch off your lights whenever you can. That one simple act can already do a whole world of good.

It was legend--WAIT A MINUTE!--dary!

It was the Warriors' first time to join the Boracay Open. Seventeen players from our team flew to paradise to play and par-tey, and while that's a pretty good number, we still missed the folks back home who were slaving away in the midst of busy season.

The boys in their matching shorts

Took so long to post about the trip coz I've been tamad to upload photos. I still am, so I just stole a bunch of them from Jacq and JP. Hehe.

Highlights:

Game vs. Ultimate Summer. By far, the most fun game we played during the tourney was against this local team. These dudes and dudettes just fly on sand. Iba na rin ang homecourt advantage! We were down 10-5 or something, so they had one point to go. So for the last point, EVERYBODY played. Both teams made their way to the endzones, then the Warriors yelled, "Luhod!" It was the only way it was going to be an even playing field, so we all got down on our knees! It was crazy tiring trying to run/crawl around, with so many people crowding the playing area. But guess what? We scored!

Overheard from local spectators, "Kung kelan nakaluhod, du'n pa sila naka-score!" Hahaha.

Warriors Yoga. "Ako ay may lobo..."

Par-teys! The first night was kind of low key, although we were treated to a performance by Fafa Fel! But the second night—ahh, the second night. Boracay + a PUA party = a recipe for debauchery! (I was a mere spectator. We all found out why Master is called Master! Hahaha.) The third night...well, it lasted til morning. All the single ladies met a bunch of new dudes, c/o Bugaw Extraordinaire Sarah. I was being anti-social. Haha.

The Xavier Boys vs. Others Battle. Since I wasn't on the prowl and meeting new men wasn't on my agenda, I served as photographer for some of the boys who were already in my life! Dondi-Doc teamed up versus Mike-Fel-JP in some weird contest wherein each team had to get as many pics as they could, without the other team getting into the pic for a D. No contest. The Others won this battle. (X Boys, ano ba naman, I tried helping you out pa!)

And by the end of it, I had 60 photos in my camera, all of their faces. Syet.

Lowlights:

Getting a bunch of weird tan lines. Racerback layered over old racerback tanlines, the strings and straps of my various bikini tops, and the outlines of my various bikini bottoms (aka “panty”). Ang my skin is reacting badly to the sun exposure.:(

Totally missing H. My teammates were so sick of hearing just how much I missed him. And he was probably so sick of me telling him that I missed him. Haha. It didn’t help that one of our best dates ever was on the island. I was just constantly wishing that he was there.

Totally missing H’s championship game. Which they won! Damn, I always miss his crucial games. And I also missed the B Boys’ game, wherein Tek and Jerry Bear got into a fight with a, er, matinee idol. Hahaha.

Quotable quotes:

Gladys: OMG! I know right?

~*~*~*~

Tish: Pwede kayong humingi ng extra kumot.
Mike: Dalawa naman kumot namin ah.
Greg: Oo, pero 'yung dalawa kasi nasa isang kama lang kanina so hindi ko nakita.
Tisha: (to Mike) Teka...Ba't nandu'n 'yung dalawang kumot sa isang kama? Kayong dalawa lang ni Nana sa kwarto kagabi ah. Sa isang kama lang kayo natulog?

(Ooh!)

~*~*~*~

Sidelines cheering for Lei and Tish during the games: Go panty girls!

~*~*~*~

Warrior 1: Sino nga pala 'yung basketball player na magkaiba kulay ng buhok?
Tisha: Si Tubid?
Warrior 2: Hinde, si Rodman!
Warrior: Ayun! Si Rodman!

(OK sorry, PBA watcher ako. Hahaha.)

~*~*~*~

Sarah (approaching random foreigners): Shot! Shot! Shot! Have you met my friend Jomen?

(Tapos iiwan na niya. Hwattabugaw!)

~*~*~*~

Sarah: Have you met my friend Jomen?
(A girl from another team approaches the group and grabs the guy’s arm)
Girl: He’s mine!

(Sabay alis, dragging the guy along with her. Taraaaay!)

~*~*~*~

Waryoritas

Warrior 1: First feet!
Warrior 2: Oo nga, first feet!
Gladys: Yeah, first feet!
Dondi: Anong first feet? First foot!
Tisha: Dumb and dumber ‘yon ah.
Dondi: Hinde, tatlo eh, so dumb, dumber, and—
Enteng: Dummiest!
Dondi: (kulang na lang mangamot ng ulo) Oo. Dumb, dumber, and dummiest.
Enteng: Ay, mali, more dummiest pala.
Tisha: Dapat most dummiest.
Enteng: Hinde, more dummiest muna, tapos most dummiest pa ‘yung susunod. 'To naman o.

(Anakng. Nakakabobo ‘yung usapan na ‘to!)

~*~*~*~

Tisha: Hanapan mo nga ng boys 'to! (referring to Jo)
Xtian: Ano ba type mo?
Jo: Kayumanggi!
Tisha: Na medyo gusgusin ang hitsura.
Jo: Na matangkad.
(Later, an African dude walks by)
Xtian: (excited) Nasa'n 'yung kaibigan mo?

(The next morning, Tisha tells Jo about what happened)
Jo: Nasa'n na si Xtian? Kailangan kong i-reorient. Sabi ko kayumanggi hindi...(looks at my taho) arnibal.

~*~*~*~

Jim: Heyew!

~*~*~*~

Dondi: (mimicking How I Met Your Mother) It's going to be legend--
Gladz: Wait a minute!

(Hahahaha.)

Jump, Tisha, Jump!

Photo by Fel. Booty by the Almighty! (Although ice cream probably had something to do with it as well. Haha.)

Tisha reporting live from QC after four glorious days in sunny (sometimes painfully so) Boracay. The tourney was alright; Dragons are champions yet again. Marc Nelson was there, but we all got a crush on a hot girl from HK with mad skillz (she throws a mean forehand). For the most part, we had fun at the parties (hedonism comes with the whole Boracay package, but I was a mere spectator). I just loved chillin' with my teammates. Lots of new quotable quotes, words to be added to the Warriors' Dictionary, and great memories!

Will post a lengthy recap soon. I just wanted to upload that fab photo by Fel first. I'm not skinny but I don't give a crap. Haha. I just love the composition--the sun, the water shooting from my toes, the height of my jump, no matter how formless it is. Although my ballerina friends would be scandalized.

For now, I gotta crash. Went straight from partying to breakfast to the airport. Last time I did that was Bintan two years ago, and it hasn't gotten any easier! I. Am. Out.

The honeymooners

When H and I talk about our honeymoon, we normally consider beaches abroad. We both love the beach (although my feelings for it have somewhat diminished, considering I have a perpetual tan now), plus we're both raring to leave the country for a bit again. A local honeymoon wasn't even on our list, until we found out that there's a chance--however slight--that we could possibly spend three blissful days in...Amanpulo!

It wasn't something I ever considered because...well, the rates are kind of...let's say prohibitive for third-world wage earners! (Mikey's answer to that: "Magbenta lang ng isang kabayo si haciendero, pwede na!" Haha.) I don't even have friends who've been there, and have only heard of urban legends of girls getting proposed to by their loaded boyfriends there. Up until yesterday, the place was as real to me as Rivendell. But now, my skin is tingling just thinking about being caressed by Amanpulo sun.

For those who haven't been introduced to the luxurious world of Aman Resorts, they're, like, the ish yo, and there's one right in Palawan. Accessible, geography-wise--but budget-wise? Hmmm. I was weighing whether I would still prefer a honeymoon abroad or one at Amanpulo--the cost would pretty much come out the same. But after seeing this...

And this...

And this...

And this...

And this...

...I'm all for supporting Ace Durano's WOW Philippines initiatives. Suddenly my upcoming Bora trip isn't quite as exciting. And suddenly, a local honeymoon sounds much, much more enticing.

All photos from here.

Diet shmiet (part two of two)

Over the years, my weight has yo-yoed about five to seven pounds, which makes a whole lotta diff on a teeny girl like myself. (Eva Longoria, who’s about my height, gained just seven pounds and people already thought she was preggers!) I lost weight unintentionally some years back, when I was dancing five hours a day and eating small, frequent meals because I was too busy to sit down and eat big meals that took up too much precious time. Then I gained it back. Then had to lose it a few months later to—egad—don a bikini at a fashion show. My crash diet of choice: the three-day diet. You’re supposed to lose ten pounds in three days; I probably lost around four to six. Good enough. Although eating all that broccoli was hell.

I never did try the uber-trendy South Beach Diet (A LOT of people I know were whittled down to skin and bones on this diet). Read about the Zone Diet but it just seemed like too much work. When I had to lose weight in a span of two weeks, I tried a modified version of my friend’s Fit for Life diet: fruits for breakfast, no cheese, no milk, then just carbs OR protein—never together—and unlimited fruits and veggies for lunch and dinner. It’s supposed to help your digestion. I believed in this diet because I saw what it did to my friend, and the results were convincing. So I tried it (although I sometimes had oatmeal for breakfast, couldn’t give up milk, and didn't really lay off the sweets), and it did work. I felt so much healthier, primarily because I was making a more conscious effort to eat veggies with every meal. And since I couldn’t mix protein with carbs, I couldn’t indulge in evil, greasy food like sisig (protein) because I couldn’t have ‘em with their perfect complement, rice (carbs). I felt great—no bloating—and I even have a treasured photo of a bikini-clad me with what could be the beginnings of abs. (If you squint while looking at it, you’ll see faint lines...)

Early this year, I vowed to get my goal body by the time the trip rolled around. But the two months I had turned into one, and four weeks turned into two. And here I am, again trying another diet: the General Motors diet (supposedly formulated for GM employees). A former co-worker sent me an article about it, and well, I succumbed. I’m on Day 3, and I’m not a happy camper. I’m thinking of just doing it til Day 4, but whatevs.

I just wanna see if it works. See, I don’t have a blog called “Diary of a Food Lover” for nothing—eventually, I’ll be back to my old ways. I have to dig deep and find the discipline it requires to make a lifestyle change, pronto.

…Or maybe right before the next beach trip.

Diet shmiet (part one of two)

I must say, when my girl friends reminisce about the times when they were "so skinny" and "had no stomach," I totally can't relate. I have never ever ever been skinny (or maybe that's my eating-disorder-prone high school self talking), and couldn't even conjure an image of a skinny me in my head, until I had a dream of a stick-thin me a couple of weeks ago. (Didn't like it.)

I'm feeling a tad pressured though, coz I've got an upcoming trip, and I'll be standing alongside my super svelte teammates. Trust Fate (and her sense of humor) to dump all the skinny girls in PUA into one team--my team. Haha. Hence, the frantic "Marie! How do I lose weight in a month?!" cry for help a few weeks back. My fave beauty/fitness guru's reply: "Stop eating sweets!"

"Never gonna give you up..."

And then I realized, when people ask, "How do I lose weight?" what they're really asking is: "How do I lose weight without making any effort?" We all know what we're supposed to be doing—eating right (meaning, lots of fruits and veggies, good carbs); eating small, frequent meals; drinking lots of water; working out—but we just don't want to be bothered. So we fall into the trap of crash diets. Or, at least, I do, when I have to fit into something (often, a bikini) in a short span of time.

Next: Crashin' and burnin'

Six months to go!:)