I Walk, I Run, I Jog

 

Yes, I brisk walk, I ran, I jog, in that order, at least 5 times a week. I make sure that I cover a distance of more than 4.5 km for a 40-minute walk-run-jog workout on a minimum, or more than 7 km in an hour. And that I maintain the same speed, the same pacing, and the same stride all through out my workout – always.  I don’t speed up nor slow down. When I hit my target distance, that’s the only time I slow down.

I do my walk-ran-jog workout at around 7PM or as soon as I get to our flat (from work). Clad in a comfortable running short and sleeveless shirt and a FILA shoes (these have been my running buddies for more than a year now),   I go around our neighborhood in Serangoon or to the nearby park or stadium. Most of the time, I only do short distance running- that is less than 6km but I do more than that when my legs and knees can still carry on.

When I walk-run-jog, I always start with some stretching for 2 or 3 minutes then I do a brisk walk for 8 minutes at least covering a distance of 800 meters to 1 km as a warm-up. Then I do a 2 km straight run for less than10 minutes,  I slow down, do a brisk walk for a minute or 2.  After that I jog at a slower speed (4.2 km/30 minutes).  I jog a total distance of 2.5 km, sometimes even more, or I call it a day when I am completely satisfied with my workout but not to the point of  exhausting myself too much.  This has already become my daily routine and I’m good with it. I also hit the treadmill for a 30 minutes workout once in a while but I prefer to do it outdoors, to feel the soft breeze on my skin and breathe fresh air. That makes my workout more refreshing and pleasurable. 

past 7pm at the stadium

at the park

Let’s see hhhhmmm. Well, I’ve been walking, running, and jogging for more than two years now since I came to Singapore. It seems like my day wouldn’t be complete if I don’t do some ground pounding exercise and getting my self drenched with my own sweat. I just love brisk walking, jogging, and running and here are my 10 good reasons why I walk, I run, and I jog:

1)     to maintain my weight – well that was my very first goal when I first arrived in Singapore (that was 2 years 2 months and 24 days ago).  I was only weighing 47 kg back then. I maintained it at that figure and even lower it a bit but not until last year when I transferred to Serangoon with Ais and Macoy’s family – I gained more than 10kgs!

2)     to lose weight –  That’s my objective now :-). After our wedding in January this year, I weighed a whopping 59 kg.  So I decided to start my walk-run-jog routine again in July (that’s what I got for idling for half a year- dung!) and so far I lost 4 kg.  I am getting there and I’m happy for my achievement 🙂

3)      It’s my stress and fatigue reliever – my healthiest way to escape boredom, stress, fatigue and exhaustion from my daily work load and baggage.

4)    Iit’s  my remedy for migraine relief  – headaches? migraines? Forget the pills, go out for a run, or a jog, or even just a walk.  I tell you, no matter how severe the pain is, it will be gone once you hit the ground.  It symptoms persist, consult your doctor J

5)     It improves my mood, makes me feel relaxed and happier– it helps really, especially when I am on my PMS  😀  My walk-run-jog workout is like my own personal brand of heroine (naks), it frees me from anxieties and lifts my spirit at times when I am feeling so low, so all alone because I miss and long for my husband Frederick (sigh).

6)      It makes me feel lighter and detoxified – I feel like every toxins I have ingested for my 33 years of existence on this world evaporates with every perspiration I emit (🙂 nodding)

7)     It definitely toned my legs – I have a well shaped legs but when I gained weight, I gained a few unsightly flabs on my legs as well 😦

8 )     It energizes me and helps me develop a higher level of endurance and better stamina 😉  now, I don’t get tired easily (but don’t make me do some lifting coz that is another story)

9)     It clears my head  – my brain seems to be more active and I process information better and faster when I am on the move as compared to when I am just sitting or lying around.

10) and best of all, it improved my cardiovascular health – I am no longer experiencing palpitations, shortness of breath, nor numbness due to my MVP (mitral valve prolapse).

Now, I am aiming to increase my pace, to run a 3km distance- straight and to complete 10 km in an hour. I haven’t thought of running for marathon but maybe after “we had a baby”, I might consider it 🙂

 Tonight, I completed a distance of 6 km for 40 mins(Yehey! Congratulations to me! :-)).  Oh the old janitor from the stadium last night suggested that I hit the bench next time for some sit-ups while staring at my still-bulging tummy– I guess I also need that (thank you uncle)

Ooops I have an 11^th reason why I love to walk, run, and jog:

11)  It helps relieve my constipation – I don’t have the scientific or medical explanation for this, but when I walk-run-jog, I get to poop.  If I am inactive – as in idle, I don’t poop. I have and always been constipated for as long as I could remember.  I poop at least once in 4 days or worse even once in 5 days. I drink lots of water, I gulp at least 3 liters a day excluding other liquids that I take, and I munch on vegetables and fruits sometimes, yet still I am constipated :-(. Oh well, that’s another story.   

So long for now – got to take a bath

– Sharosem (29September2010)

What’s in it Today?

 

September 25:

1)      It’s Singapore formula 1 day – but I am not interested.  First of all, I’m no F1 enthusiast and the tickets are expensive – SG$ 3,000 per pax for a good view, and the cheapest is SG$ 38 giving you an ant view of the event at a distance of 4-5 km from the actual race track (which means you have to spend another extra for a pair of good binoculars). Oh well, maybe if my husband Frederick is here and he’s interested, I might watch F1, why not?

2)      The arrival of don Aba hehehe (my sister Kristine’s bf) It’s his first time to set foot in Singapore.  He’s here to seek better and greener Pasteur – Like I did more than 2yrs ago and my sister Tintin a few months back :-).  God bless you!

3)      I’m in the office for a half day work nagdarasal na sana makahanap na ako ng mas magandang opportunidad kumpara sa kung anong meron ako ngayon.

 

September 26

1)      My husband Frederick and some of his colleague in Kinshasha will be feasting on a crocodile later. He’d been bragging about it for almost 2 weeks now.

2)      Chatted with Joy and saw our nephew Ambrei over skype.  Ambrei is already a big boy (he’s only 1 yr and 2months old).  He’s so active, energetic, and has a very engaging smile.  I wish to have our own angel soon.

3)      Dined over Mee Goreng at a hawker near Ang mo kio hub.  It’s Kristine’s favorite Singapore food so far.  He can finish one full plate in less than 30 minutes and she’d still be craving for more.

4)      Received a sad news about the untimely death of Ellen Duclan, Eric’s only sister, and my sister Joy’s friend and highschool batchmate.  She took her own life  earlier today due to reasons unknown to me.  May she rest in peace.

-Sharosem (26September2010)

That Wriggling Monster Under my Husband’s Skin

 

Have you ever heard the joke “buhay ka pa inuuod ka na”? Have you ever experienced it, literally?

My husband Frederick did.  Seriously!

When Frederick fetched me from the airport  in Manila in the early morning of January 9, 2010, he’d already been scratching his back.  He had allergies, as usual, so we didn’t take it seriously. Frederick arrived 3days earlier in Manila- he came from Kinshasha, DR Congo where we works.

On the evening of the same day, he asked me to check his back- geeez, those are no longer ordinary rashes, I’m staring at huge bumps,  already thrice the original size, are very very very red, hard to the touch and they ooze.  I made a closer look on those swelling large lumps with protruding white stuff on top- “yak dear, letteg, kadiri!!!” I screamed.  (Let-teg is the Ilocano term for boil) . Frederick has boils!   He complained that the lesions are painful and itchy. He even described the feeling  that “as if something is moving inside each bump”.

I volunteered to squeeze his boils to extract the pus.  He agreed.  There were about 2 large boil-like lesions larger than the size of a 1 dollar coin (SG$1) on his back. Around 2-3 cm in diameter I think and the other one is smaller, with a protruding pus (so I thought). There were also other small pimple-like bumps on his back.

Armed with an alcohol, cotton, and a tweezer, I started “operating” on his boils.  I first squeezed the smaller bump. I squeezed-nothing happened. I squeezed harder- the pus doesn’t want to come out. “Dear, baka saan pay nalu-om ta let-teg mo. let’s do this again tomorrow”, I told him.  But he still insisted for me to continue coz he can no longer stand the pain and itch. So with all my might I squeezed the darn boil, and there goes out the pus.  Ooops, was it moving? Yes it’s moving!!! I was grossly screaming while pulling the thing out with the tweezer- “it’s a worm”. It was wriggling and it stretched out to at least 5 mm.  I almost passed out. Frederick begged me to extract the thing from the other bump and same thing came out, another wriggling monster.  He said they are fly larvae but he’s not sure about it.  I was able to extract 2 fat larvae from his back – the sizes range from 3 -4 mm long and they stretch out to twice their original size.

these 2 large boil-like lesions on my husband Frederick's back are called human myiasis caused by tumbo fly larvae

a closer look at the myiasis

tumbu fly larvae extracted from my husband's boil-like lesions

They call these myiasis – human myiasis.  It’s when a fly larva/maggot burrow into the skin of any mamal including humans and produce a boil-like lesion which contains, not pus, but a developing maggot.  Only until last night did Frederick confirmed that what had gotten him was the tumbu or mango fly.  And this kind of skin infestation is very common in the African region.

The tumbu / mango fly belongs to the blow fly family.  It’s not similar to the regular house fly nor fruit fly nor the large flies you commonly see flying around.  These flies are found in many parts of East and Central Africa. They lay eggs on the ground or on any wet dump areas.  Contaminated soils with feses and urines are the usual targets.  But they also lay eggs on wet clothes hanging outdoors especially those  laid out on the ground to dry . The eggs are hatched when they come in contact with animals or man.  The larvae burrow into and lie under the skin in order for them to develop and mature.   This produces the boil-like bump which contains a pus-like head, which is the developing maggot.  When the maggot are on their final stage of development, they expel themselves from their host and complete their lifecycle somewhere else until they become a full grown fly.

Checked this site out for more details http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/71725.htm

After the extraction, I forced my husband to seek medical attention coz I was worried that some larvae might have burrowed deeper into his flesh or that he will develop infections or something- who knows?  So we went to see his friend Chris who happens to be a surgeon at FEU hospital in Fairview.  He checked and “operated” on him further.  Luckily there were no more larvae.  So he prescribed some antibiotics for my husband to take.

You can search the internet about similar experiences and there are many documented on videos- check the youtube.  There also articles discussing this.  Topics ranges from scientific explanations about these flies to medical advises and instructions on how to extract these fly larvae from the skin.   Here are some tips and advices on how to deal with a skin-burrowing-maggot:

1)     If you feel that something stings you, well that’s the start (based on my husband’s experience) The stinging left a hole which the larvae use for breathing (those are the black dots at the surface of the boil).  Apply petroleum gel or any viscous oil or gel on the hole and the whole affected area in order to clog it, cutting off the larvae’s oxygen supply.  The larvae will then come into surface in search of oxygen.

2)     Squeeze the bump after a few minutes, by that time the larva should have surfaced for air. Make sure to carefully remove the whole larva without rupturing it and leaving some parts behind.

3)     Ask for antibiotic prescription from your doctor

To prevent these flies from infecting you, observe the following:

1)     For those in the African regions, clothes should not be left outside to dry especially lying on the ground.

2)     If this is not avoidable, make sure to iron your clothes including your undergarments before using it or putting them away.

3)     Do not walk around barefeet.

4)     Maintain proper hygiene anytime, every time and everywhere.  Clean your house and your surrounding areas regularly.

5)     And kill the darn fly when you see one!!!

Sharosem (17September2010) 

My Husband’s Taste of African Exotic Delis

 

Last Sunday, September 12, 2010, at 22:32 Singapore time (past 5 PM in Kinshasha), I received a text message from my husband Frederick bragging that he had caterpillars and preserved smoked fish for dinner.  Squeamish as I am, I almost puked.  Good thing we’ve already had supper, otherwise I won’t be able to gulp the food down coz I’d be imagining the rice to be caterpillars wriggling all their way down my throat (gross!)

My husband Frederick has a wild and sometimes weird sense of adventure, not only when it comes to outdoor activities but most especially when it comes to food.  He has a thick stomach and an unusual palate matched with high degree of curiosity and an annoying determination to explore the unknown (my vehement objection is really not effective – huh!).  He loves adventures. He loves to eat anything and everything (oh I pity his tummy, poor thing).  Everywhere we go and anywhere he goes, he always wants a taste of local food, and not just the ordinary local food but the exotic ones!  When we were in Thailand, he asks every local people we meet as to where he (not me!) can eat cockroaches, snakes, grasshoppers and whatever strange stuff  Thai restos can offer. I really can’t stomach it (I’ m not coming with you!)

Well, strange /weird/gross exotic food may be disgusting and disturbing for some people (like me) and for some cultures but it is common, acceptable,  and palatable for others (like my husband Frederick).  It’s not about “kaartehan”, Filipino culture has its own range of exotic food – we have the balut;  isaw, dinuguan;  bagoong, dogmeat and pinikpikan for the Ilocanos and other northern Luzon people;  bungsus, etag, tapey for the natives of Cordillera, and a lot more, and I eat most of them, especially balut, isaw, dinuguan, bagoong, pinikpikan etc. I also had tasted crocodile meat, well I had too coz my husband bribed me to. It tasted ok, nothing special really, not that I am expecting that it will taste nasty or something, it was, like, sour? Or maybe it was just how my husband cooked it (Dear naman next time sarapan mo ha)

See? I’m not “maarte”.   But if you are talking about wriggling, crawling, hopping, flying, whatever nasty and gross  “what-have-yous” you call food, please spare me.

I hope my husband had learned his lessons with his caterpillar-eating-adventure coz he had developed an allergic reaction to it – half of his face had been swollen !!! after a long scolding and begging from me, trying to talk him out to NOT eating exotic food again (DO NOT EAT MONKEYS Dear.  Please!), he boastfully told me that their supplies (plural) of crocodile meat are on their way and he is already salivating at the idea of gorging over crocodile meat on the weekends.  What can I do but to sigh (haaaaaaaayyyyssssss deep deep deep sigh)  He promised though that he’s not going to eat caterpillars again (kain lang dear para yung kabilang pisngi mo naman lumobo, para pantay na :D)

my husband Frederick enjoying his caterpillar meal

 

... he really is eating it???

fried caterpillar

 

fried caterpillar

 

PS:  Edible worms, caterpillars, and other insects are considered traditional foods in most part of Africa, and these thingy are high in protein.  UN’s FAO is reconsidering it as an alternative source of protein in order to increase food security in African countries. Sapelli caterpillars  and  mopane caterpillar are those commonly served in Kinshasha, DRC (That’s for your information Dear)

 

– Sharosem (15September2010)

 

 

My Daily Rant

1) Setting  :  MRT greenline

    When  :  early morning of  September 9, 2010

What About :  There was this young man comfortably sitting down inside the MRT reading the bible glancing up once in a while as if to completely absorb the holiness of his readings –  YET HE CAN’T EVEN OFFER HIS DARN SEAT TO THE OLD WOMAN JUST INFRONT OF HIM @#%&*!!!!

2) Setting  :   inside a previous company’s office

    When  :  between years 2002 – 2004

What about  :  Speaking of religious hypocrisy! – a former colleague of mine (from a past-life) branded me to be a self-declared righteous when I told her I am an agnostic (she asked me why I seldom go to church!!!) Then, she’s what?  A Catholic self-declared righteous who passes judgments so quickly on others – for not sharing her views and beliefs! #&@*%!!! She doesn’t even know the meaning of the word agnostic- you idiot @#*&%$!!! 

3)  Setting  :  dito sa Opisina

When  :  Kaninang umaga lang (Sept 15 before 8AM)

What About : Tagalog tayo ngayon. Kaninang umaga, kakapasok pa lang naming sa opisina. Kasabay kong umakyat ang isa sa mga pakialamerang grumpy and frumpy old hag na kaopisina ko, at pinansin niya agad ang suot ko. I am wearing a short dress (4 inches above the knees) with long sleeves.  Tinanong niya ako kung kumportable daw ba akong magsuot ng ganun kaiksi. Sumagot naman ako ng “yes, I’m used to it”. First of, hindi bastusin ang suot ko kahit maiksi, hindi naman masikip ang damit ko (buti na lang at hindi niya ako sinabihang mataba ako).  Sabi niya, hindi daw kasi siya kumportableng mag-suot ng maiksi katulad ng damit ko. Tanong nya ulit “what a? you one wear one inside?” naintindihan ko naman tinutukoy niya, yung undergarment na ladies slip. Sabi ko hindi. Tanungin ba ulit ako kung kumportable akong walang hapislip. Sabi ko “yes, very much”.  Sabay layas at iwas though I tried to remain calm and polite kahit diko malaman kung matatawa ako o magagalit sa kanya.  Inaantay ko na nga lang tanungin niya kung may panty at bra ako noh at sasagutin ko sya ng “none, coz I’m not comfortable with it” wehehehehe 😀

Ay, tinawanan ko na lang pala yung nangyaring yun sabay post dito sa blog ko :D:D:D

– Sharosem (15September2010)

Mooncakes in September

 

Mooncakes are back!!! September is mooncake month 🙂

These  luscious, mouth-watering,  high-in-calorie (a whopping 1000 +++ kcal per piece of 10cm in diameter and 4cm thick – Is that right? not to mention that it’s too high in sugar and cholesterol – deadly but yummy),  heavenly goodies are now mushrooming everywhere around Singapore.  Every restaurants (Chinese or not), bakeries, and even supermarkets have their own ‘signature’ range of mooncakes packed in decorated and sometimes beautifully crafted boxes.

Traditionally, mooncakes are made from golden brown thin-pastry crust that envelopes a  sweet-thick filling commonly made from lotus seed paste that surrounds one or two salted duck eggyolks.  The mooncakes are usually decorated with Chinese characters that is unreadable and alien to me. 

In modern day Chinese world,  a lot of mooncake variants have emerged due to its commercialization, incorporating and infusing different flavors and ingredients and creating different colors and shapes in order to make it even more saleable not only to the Chinese people but to foreigners as well – chocolate mooncakes, ice-cream filled mooncakes, durian filled mooncakes, Italian-french-western mooncakes, minis, heart-shaped and so on and so forth- name it and the next time you visit, it’s already on display.  Prices range from a reasonable price of SG$ 5 for a pack of 4 pcs up to a pricey SG$ 108 for a box of 4.

Goodwood Park Hotel’s D24 Durian Paste in Snowskin Mooncake – 8 piecess per box for SG$56 (taken fr Lifestyleasia.com)

 

Häagen-Dazs ice cream-filled mooncake -SG$62 for a box of 5 (taken from lifestyleasia.com)

 

colorful mini mooncakes (taken fr http://www.lifestyleasia.com)

 

The Imperial Lacquer Box (SG$108 for 4 pieces of White Lotus Seed Paste with Double Egg Yolks) – taken from http://www.lifestyleasia.com

 

Having this Chinese pastry around the corner signifies the Mid-autumn Festival that the Chinese usually celebrates every 15th day of the 8th lunar month. That’s on the 22’nd of September of this year if my hearing is right (my colleague lectured me about it yesterday).

mooncake supplied by sundat's suppliers ...

  

 

... and more mooncakes (ooops where'd the rest go?)

Ti’s season only comes once every year. So stop counting those calories – have a bite of mooncake!!!

-Sharosem (14September2010)