Andrea’s been obsessing about her weight lately. According to our last weigh in, she’s gained back the few pounds she lost about a month ago. Now, she’s set on losing them again, so I try to help her.

Walking

We’ve been doing afternoon walks almost everyday. From the house to the nearest store (which is near the main road so it’s a considerable distance away), we walk down the hill, through a rough road, along what looks like a subdivision road, and then beside the main street or highway. The challenge increases a little as we go back, because the road incline is like an assault. This plus the fact that anika and mateo tugging along kind of makes up for the cardio workout.

Muscle training

I’ve started helping andrea on some abdominal exercises – leg raises and some crunches – but nothing too stressful because I’m worried about her C-section.

Diet

As far as diet is concerned, she hasn’t taken any diet supplements yet. But, she’s cutting down on the carbs. She only eats rice during breakfast or lunch and refuses to eat nothing more than protein foods during dinner (although this often excludes dessert hehehe).

Since I’ve failed to keep my promise of helping her lose weight several times before, I plan to make up for everything now. So, for as long as she wants to, I’ll be beside her egging her on and pushing her through all the exercises.

Stress can come from different sources – work, family, money, heck even time (or the lack of it to be more accurate). And it can also manifest itself in a lot of ways – increased blood pressure, hair fall, sickness, but the most common probably is the faster formation of more wrinkles.

I don’t know exactly what’s been causing the stress in me, (probably a combination of all the factors I’ve mentioned) but I do know that it’s been showing based on the number of wrinkles on my forehead. I’m almost amazed at how many I see forming every week.

However, I’m afraid that if it doesn’t slow down, I’ll probably have to start using nanotokin or other wrinkle remover to remedy the aging. Heck, I don’t want to look like a granddad before I really have to.

It’s amazing (but at the same time scary) how people nowadays use technology to adapt to more convenient and high-tech ways of stealing.

First, there were these high-frequency jamming devices that block signals from car keys and trick car owners into thinking that they’ve already locked their vehicles. It’s a pretty simple but nifty trick. Fortunately, I don’t have a car to worry about anymore. Plus, I’m the type who double-checks the locks anyway so that probably won’t work on me.

However, there’s one I came across with that’s a little bit more disturbing.

Apparently, this time, thieves can steal credit card information without even swiping or touching your credit cards. This got me worried so I researched about any rfid blocking wallet or pouches that prevent other people from accessing the radio frequency emitted by the credit card chips. Fortunately, these are already available.

I guess, it was just bound to happen. Thieves have been around since the dawn of man, so it’s only logical to expect that they’ll be around till man is.

The thought of having a car has been on my mind for quite some time already. Although I’m sure that the earliest possible time for us to get one would be next year, it still lingers at the back of my mind and occasionally takes center stage whenever I have some idle time.

I’ve been observing the road conditions, driving habits, and regular traffic schedule, and even considering the roadside assistance plan, and equitable monthly payment schemes.

Obsessing already, I know. But I can’t help it. The walk to and from school can easily change from relaxing to hellish (literally because of the heat) in a matter of minutes. And the tons of books that I have to bring home and check make car thoughts more attractive. It also doesn’t help that public transportation here operates only until 630 in the evening. I guess that’s why almost everybody here consider buying a car as a priority.

August is just a few months away so my daughter is just a few months away from turning one. Basically, this also means that we only have a few more months left in our search for the perfect gift for my little one.

I’ve seen many baby gifts already but I haven’t seen anything that either stands out or catches my fancy.   Besides, she has plenty of things to receive from kuya and the grandparents as well when they visit.

Ideas, anyone?

I’ve always been proud of how my son displays his curiosity about anything and everything around him – the way he frowns when I tell him only half-answers or just pieces of the explanation; the way he berates me with questions when he finds something interesting; or just plainly the way he talks and shares his opinions with me about his interests.

In fact, just a few days ago, when we were in a supermarket, he asked me about a pistol-looking apparatus he saw lying around on one of the shelves. What’s that dada? I told him that it was a bluetooth barcode scanner. It was not a real gun.

Then, he started insisting that it was a real gun. I proceeded to explaining what it was and what it does, but he still refuses to believe. Finally, in a last effort to settle the matter, he said, If that’s not a real gun, then let me touch it. I almost laughed when I realized that he was playing me all along, and he played me really well too.

I know I’m really happy and proud to have a curious and overeager son, but then again, I’m a bit scared too. hehehe!

One of the most commonly ignored factor that affects humidity and temperature in the house is the moisture that results from the circulation of water and air in the rooms.

This, I’ve come to realize only now, after moving here to a more tropical area. Since the weather in Brunei is very unpredictable, I’ve learned to adapt to the conditions of varying humidity and temperature quickly. It’s also come to my attention that basement moisture gets deeply affected by these unpredictable variations, making it difficult to dry clothes in the basement or in any enclosed area.

It’s a good thing though that most houses here have extended frontages to allow drying outside possible even if it is raining.

My mom is not the easiest person to get a gift for. Since she’s brought up two boys and didn’t have a girl to pamper with, I rarely got to see her soft and picky side. I’m not sure if she even liked flowers at all (like other girls) or she just simply lost interest in them as a result of being in a more male-dominated family all her life.

That fact that getting flowers for her online is not as easy as getting Mother’s Day Flowers in Louisville also doesn’t help. Plus, my dad doesn’t really offer much help either. He’s content with treating mom to a dinner outside.

Guess I better go ask andrea for help then.

Finding a gift for dad has always been a daunting task for me. I know my dad and I know he’ll gladly accept anything that I give him but of course I want to get him something that he will not just accept, but love as well.

This year, I’ve already started considering my options by looking at the Backpacker Magazine Gear Guide 2011 picks. So far, I’ve got a few choices already. However, I’ve not seen anything that completely wows me. Anyway, at least I’ve got a bit of a head start so I have a few more weeks to keep on looking. Hopefully, something pops up soon! hehehe!

Since we’ve basically decided on homeschooling mateo till next year, andrea and I have agreed to enroll him in as many activities as we can – swimming, sports, team games, and even arts and crafts.

I know it will probably be expensive since outfits and other materials cost a lot – from softball socks to gloves and mittens to coloring pens – but it’s the best way to compensate for the social interaction that he’ll be missing out.

Never mind for now. Kuya is at a very crucial learning age so we have to do everything we can to help him out.