Healthy Living Day 2

everyone will attest to the fact that i function so much better with caffeine in my system. i have been thinking of adding it to my e-mail signature already.

so when a coffee dependent officemate offered to bring in his coffee maker, we immediately bought ground coffee beans, and brewed a few cups. health benefits include cancer prevention, depression lowering effects, and increased metabolism. of course too much of anything is always bad, so i'll try to limit my intake to three cups a week.

for lunch, as promised yesterday, i went back to cafeteria verde and tried the mozzarella panini. i was so excited, i took a bite out of the bean & cheese taquitos before i remembered to take a snapshot.

the mozzarella panini tasted so much better than the veggie burger i had yesterday, and i swear the bean & cheese taquitos taste yummier with each succeeding bite.

wonder what i'll have for monday's lunch? still can't believe i'm eating healthy. can't wait!

There's Always a First Time for Everything

i've always liked trying out new things. especially food.

so guess what i had for lunch?

tada...

i actually had a healthy lunch consisting of a veggie burger and bean & cheese taquitos. my drink was a watermelon mango slush with tapioca. here's the verdict:

• veggie burger: according to internet research, it's actually made of mushroom and tofu. the pattie crumbles on first bite. not really delicious, but it didn't taste bad, either. (of course, my standards are super duper ultra uber high since i've tasted charlie's grind and grill black angus burger) considering this was the first time i've ever tried an actual no meat burger, i'd say it'll take some getting used to before i accept what i just had as a "burger".
• bean & cheese taquitos: even though the texture would probably take some getting used to like with the veggie burger, this one actually tasted good. especially with the aioli dip. but then again, i'm a sucker for anything that has cheese in it.
• watermelon mango slush: it has mango in it. of course it's good.
• price: at 99php, i'm satisfied. the whole thing was surprisingly filling.

tomorrow, i'll probably be back to try the mozzarella panini and/or the pasta.

Simple Joys #5 and #6 with Shrimps

i simply feel the need to get pampered today.

after a week of downtime due to the not-so-sure-but-looks-like-it mumps, i thought i was ready to get back to work and slave my ass off again. apparently not. a week of work sent me right back down haggard lane. i sat at my cozy office nook this morning and thought that it has been a while since i had my last pedicure. come lunch break, off i went to have my usual at california nails and day spa. turns out, i've been missing my used-to-be-monthly pedi for more than "a while". california nails and day spa has been boarded up closed. i ended up trying luxe nail lounge still at robinson's galleria. simple joy #5: pedicure.

due to the unexpected turn of events, i was not able to take pictures of the said lounge. as always, the first thing i noticed was the smell. the place smelled nice --a soft scent like fabric conditioner or light baby lotion. the ambiance was relaxing. not homey. not clinical. during the whole process, i kept thinking why haven't i tried their services before. the comparison with california nails inevitably went on and on in my head. while i had little to no complaints with the service i used to get, this was hands down better than what i was used to. i still got the perfect cleaning, but this time without the wince worthy digging on the sides of the nails. the polish was evenly applied and they had the quick dry thingy as well. at 220php plus tips, i am very satisfied.

moving on, my hair has been frizzy due to the stress, so i purchased what i hereby present as simple joy #6: dove's nourishing oil care serum. it actually smells like a lightly scented dove soap so i had no qualms about applying it to my hair. what i especially like about the product is that 1. it doesn't weigh my hair down llike other oil based leave ons and 2. a pump or two is enough even for my long hair.

we'll see if i get to use it all up in the days to come.

next topic: i've been craving shrimp for over three weeks now. here's what i got for lunch last friday...

despite being categorized as "rabbit food" in my mind, this was surprisingly filling and really yummy. now, if only i could get my hands on more shrimps...

Out of Boredom

i've been stuck at home for the past four days now, and life is getting to be more boring than it already is. i've been diagnosed with... well, i really do not know what i've been diagnosed with. monday morning, i woke up looking like the 9gag kid.

figured i couldn't have gained 10lbs overnight, so i started panicking. that's just me, other people would've considered the obvious alternatives, like say, mumps... anyway, my dad took me to the nearest hospital to go see the ENT doctor. since i had the mumps vaccine when i was a kid, the doctor declared it to be an escalation of my chicken allergies. (hands up: hey, i swear spicy chicken at ersao was that good! i had two orders sunday night) that, and too much spicy things. also, she mentioned that i shouldn't have too much sour food either. this time, i did not mention my recent addiction with tropicana's apple lemon juice. i've been downing a bottle a day. the one liter kind, mind you. she then gave me antibiotics, and antihistamine, and sent me on my way.
tuesday morning, my face felt a little heavy so i went and looked into the nearest mirror. big mistake. lo and behold, i looked like a puffer fish minus the thorn-like thingies. it's as though i gained another 10lbs! 

so i did the first thing i was good at. i panicked again. (grin) went back to the hospital to have it checked again. this time, the doctor told me that it's probably mumps, but she'll have my blood drawn and tested just to be sure. so they got my blood, and gave me additional meds for the pain. they told me they'd call me back within the day for my cbc results.

that afternoon, her secretary called to provide me with yet other medication. a stronger dose, i think. this time it had steroids. i felt like a junkie. still, the response i got was that it looked like mumps. was beginning to think "is there ever any assurance in this world?" dramatic, i know.

wednesday, they called to ask how i was. the pain had gone, but the puffer fish face was still there. ever so puffy. that afternoon though it kinda went down a little.

it's thursday, and i'm trying to be more patient about this and going through a hard time accepting the fact that i would probably be unable to go to the office outing this weekend. sadness. also, i'm having a hard time finding things to do. i cannot drop by the grocery, i can't visit the bookstore, i can't lift heavy stuff (apparently, it worsens things), i can't eat my favorite junk... tv's not really my thing, although i've been downloading like crazy.

i'm currently hoping i'd still have my sanity by the time this ends. oh, and hope nobody catches this, that is, if what i have is really mumps.