We left Sibulan early and took the fastcraft to Santander, Liloan in Cebu at 7 a.m. We walked the short distance to the cozy (and highly recommended) Eden Resort. They were the ones who arranged the adventure for us.

We rode a couple of motorbikes from Liloan to Oslob (and I wish I could have taken a pic of those as I enjoyed riding them). The scenery was beautiful especially since most of the time you can see the sea from the road.

When we got to the place where we were going to take the boats, we paid the 300Php fee (each) and joined in a quick orientation. It was in Cebuano but I’m really good with context clues so I only needed Jette to translate the jokes ehehe

Then we donned our snorkeling gear, got into a boat and the two manongs rowed us out to the sea where a number of butanding were swimming. It was actually still very close to the shore, around twenty feet of water. The whale-sharks were just there, swimming with the pesky humans and following the boats around, asking for food.

While I appreciate being able to be close enough to them to touch, at the back of my mind I knew I shouldn’t (be close enough and shouldn’t touch them). It’s an awesome experience, yes, but I can’t help but worry about the whale-sharks. What if there are no fishermen to feed them? What if some idiot on a boat feeds them something like chicharon or siopao. Something! It just worries me.

The fishermen treats these whale-sharks like domesticated pets. And there’s this one baby whale-shark that keeps following this boat around, asking for food. They’re also very careful with the animals. They make sure that the boats don’t hit them, and that they don’t crowd the whale-sharks.

Of course, the other humans don’t respect the rules that not more than 5 people should be in the water near the animals or the whale-sharks will get stressed.

Anyway, I kept having trouble with the snorkel. And the current was so strong I couldn’t let go of our guide’s hand for fear of being swept by the current and deposited in Bohol… which is not a bad idea actually, as I’ve never been to Bohol… hmmm…

Anyway, Jette also told me about the difference between whale-watching in Oslob and in Donsol. It’s easier to see the butanding in Oslob, but the Donsol experience is more geniuine as the buntanding there are wild.

In any case, I loved our trip to Oslob.

When we got back to Eden, we had lunch. I couldn’t pass up the chicken cordon bleu which is one of my most favorite food. Jette had the grilled fish. Then we went to the beach and took some pictures before we went back to the resort to swim. I was such a happy baby. We stayed at the shallow side of the pool (3 ft.) but I wanted to go to the 8 ft. side. Except I didn’t know how to thread and was scared I’d embarrass myself hehe next time.

Jette and I spent the time talking (mostly about our boys) and with me trying to reach the floor of the pool with my nose. I also wanted to try to do a flip but I’d have to be in deeper water than that.

Hay. I want to go swimming again soon. Anyhow, here are some pics from the trip.

So I decided to have a day-off today. I may or may not work tonight but right now, I think I’d update the blog.

Today’s news is the 6.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Negros at 11:49 a.m. earlier today.

Jette, Ivy and I had just finished breakfast (we had spaghetti). I was at the sink, rinsing dishes so I can wash them. I felt the earth move and though a truck was passing outside. But then I heard a noise like one of the airplanes landing at the near-by Sibulan Airport and the truck-passing-by rumbling of the earth intensified to a gentle side to side movement THEN to an intense rolling movement like the earth was trying to split itself open. Ivy watched the TV shake and Jette and I had grabbed the bathroom’s doorframe and waited for the earth to still.

It didn’t… for long, long, long seconds. The earth still shook and gave out that terrifying angry rumble which grew louder and louder. The cups were rattling, my dishes were rattling, the trees outside were waving like crazy and I could see PJay moving too. The sink and the doorjamb shook beneath my hands.

I really believed that somewhere nearby, buildings will collapse and a tsunami will ensue. It was that strong.

Anyhow, the earth gradually stopped shaking until, I guess, it was just me. We scattered to text family and friends to check how they were.

A tsunami alert had been raised, and apparently, a wall collapsed and a child died. News here. So far, we haven’t felt any more aftershocks after the first long, strong one.

I feel equal parts terrified, fascinated and humbled. Terrified because I have lived through the 1990 earthquake (I was ten. Do the math.) and remembered being horrified at how Baguio had looked like. Fascinated because I could imagine tectonic plates moving beneath my feet to form and reform. And humbled because mankind may be at the top of the food chain, but at the end of the day, we still owe our excistence to something far greater than we are.

God bless us all.

I have to take my blogging seriously again.

—

On a happy note, my brother and I agreed on a football date. We’re going to wait for an Army vs. Air Force or Kaya FC vs. Meralco match. Excited much? I need it for a manuscript although I’m more excited about hanging out with my brother.

Anyhow, off to sleep. Too tired to write or edit. I just want to curl up with an audiobook until I drift off.

Good night!

Anyway, I’m in Dumaguete right now, enjoying the peace and quiet, and the good food c/o Edith Joaquin and Gabby’s Bistro. Explains why I’m 40 pounds overweight now *sob*

We were also in Cebu for Sinulog. Anyhow, I’m listening to an audiobook right now and I have to work for oDesk so I can’t write a long entry. I’m going to make up for it soon, I promise.

I miss you, blog!

Here are some pics from Cebu.

Street dancing

With the Sto. Niño

Lapu-Lapu Shrine, Mactan Island, Cebu

Yummy Thai food at Krua Thai, SM City Cebu

Lilo-an Port, Santander, Cebu

I’ve pretty much maintained my (thirty pounds over) weight for the last two years. I actually lost a few last year then gained them when I started working again (I bless and curse you, free drinks from the office!) and so far, I’ve been losing and gaining two or three pounds over the course of 2011. No, I don’t check my weight. I don’t have a weighing scale. But I know if I’ve lost or gained weight based on how my jeans fit and the way I wear my belt.

Anyhow, sometime ago, I started using this iPod app called MyFitnessPal which is a free calorie counter, diet and exercise journal. I got the idea about calorie counting from a friend before but didn’t take it seriously because I didn’t want to be looking at labels and calculating calories before I eat anything. Especially since I don’t do the cooking and I REALLY don’t want to deconstruct a meal to count calories. It takes the fun out of eating and I absolutely love to eat.

I recently reloaded the app into the iPod and signed up into the site. I tinkered with it and was deligted that they had “kutsinta” in the database which was exactly what I was eating at the time. So I found myself logging my meals for that day and was horrified to see that I’ve been eating way above my suppossed calorie count limit, and that I’ve been eating mostly fat and sugar. Now, I’ve never been a health nut. I hate dieting and exercising. I live the life of a sloth. I work at home so I only mostly leave the bed to go to the toilet, the fridge and the kitchen. I leave the house a maximum of three times in any given week, and mall-hopping is my exercise. But for someone my age and weight and medical problems (nothing serious but I have allergic rhinitis that is a hop, skip and a jump away from true blue asthma), I need to watch my health.

So I decided to use the app again to calorie count as I have an obssession about listing things down and keeping track of them. Also, it comes with a Twitter-like app that allows me to post food thoughts. I’ve thought of linking it to Twitter but let’s just say I like it private.

So, aside from listing down the food I eat everyday, I also have to list the number of glasses of water I drink and the types and duration of exercise I do. I usually forget but I’ve set the app up to remind me to log my meals in. And because I embarrass myself, I try to exercise just so I can add something. Hence that evil piece of equipment up there which I’ve asked, cajoled and bullied my mom to get for us. I have no idea what I was thinking.

But for the past week, everytime I feel lazy, I pull myself off the bed and away from the computer to spend some time with the bike. I get less lazy that way. Could be because of the endorphins. Sorry, I’m really stupid when it comes to exercise.

As I haven’t checked my weight, I can’t say if it’s effective as yet, but I can say that this new habit has helped me watch how I take care of myself. Doesn’t matter if I get thin or not as that is just a byproduct, but so long as I’m healthy, I’m happy ^^ And positive thinking, I will learn to love that bike. I will learn to love that bike. I will learn to love that bike.

Image from here via Google.

I remember playing an 8-bit version of the game on the PC when I was young, and I always ended up winning because of the “Bible” category. The computer game was saved on a diskette (the big, thin ones) and had five questions for all five categories so you’re really playing the whole game. I loved it and Wheel of Fortune and Family Feud.

Anyhow, I saw Ivy was playing it so I decided to start, for old times sake. I sucked haha but I noticed that I’m good at US history and geography. And then there was “Ranks and Titles” that I saved the best for last on my first game, thinking that I kinda know stuff about lords and ladies and dukes and duchesses. Wasn’t expecting this to come up but it had me laughing out really loudly.

Nanalo tuloy ako haha US Air Force FTW!

Anyway, audiobook is loaded, and eyes are droopy. Off to bed. Good night!

My dad said that signal was back yesterday. I gave my phone a cursory glance but I didn’t check the messages or anything. Then, when I woke up this morning and checked my phone, I did a doubletake. Literally did a doubletake when I saw that I had full bars even while I was sitting several feet away from our “signal spot” at home. I sent a text message to myself, was able to send it, and was able to receive it. I put the phone back at the signal spot to check if it was a fluke.

I am now sitting in bed, right at the other end of the house from the signal spot, in what is (was?) a dead zone, with my phone right beside me, and I’m actually texting. Yes. I am texting.

I’ve connected my phone to the laptop via Bluetooth and I’m using the Nokia PC Suite to text. And the phone is actually sending the text messages out. To people. And they’re replying. So I’m really amazed. Whatever the heck Globe did, it’s working. And I hope they don’t take it back. So I’m defering the “move to Smart” and keeping my six year old number. Yay! Thank you, @talk2GLOBE!

No, I’m not being paid by Globe to advertise. I’m just the type of person who likes to tell people “good job!” if they did a good job. But, I really wouldn’t mind an iPhone 4S hahaha

Anyhow, I saw these books. And since I’m not a fan of hers, I didn’t know that she’d already used two of my titles hehe

Oh, well.

Anyway, earlier today I received my order (yay!) which included the following:

• Natural Moisturizing Shampoo with CREAMFoam® Technology
• Natural Moisturizing Conditioner
• Intensive Hair Mask – Gugo Bark & Avocado (Jasmine Scent)
• 100% Natural Tinted Lip Balm (Flame Tree)
• Body Butter – Goat’s Milk & Cocoa (Mango Scent)

I’m going to be a first time user of the most everything except for the Mango-scented body butter which I can guarantee is made of pure awesome. Aside from the fact that I love the mango scent, it also REALLY moisturizes the skin. I use it after baths and/or before I sleep. And I wake up to really soft, smooth skin. I really felt the difference the first time I used it. I thought something was wrong with my hand when I touched my arm. Plus it somewhat cured my mild KP (Keratosis Pilaris). And THAT should be a different review but hey! I really love the product. And the banana-scented Hand & Foot Salve

Okay, back to my hair experience. I was so excited to try out the new shampoo and conditioner, I immediately jumped into the shower.

The Shampoo
The original shampoo (which I reviewed here) had a jelly-ish feel. You know, when you pour it onto your hand it won’t run down the sides and would actually wiggle. The Natural Moisturizing Shampoo feels like your usual commercial shampoo.

I poured a small amount on my palm then latered my hair. And that was when I understood the “CREAMFoam” bit because it did feel creamy. You know when you put on shampoo and lather your hair, and the bubbles are everywhere until you get a white sudsy Afro? This doesn’t have that kind of foam. It’s like a milk foam in a cup of coffee rather than a Tide foam in your laundry. I like it. It feels like your shampoo is concentrated on your hair rather than foaming up for show.

And when I rinsed it, I was met with the familiar sqeaky clean feel on my hair. Yes, it actually squeaked when I ran my hands down in *sigh of contentment… for both me and my hair* It immediately felt lighter. And that may be in my head, knowing that I just washed down a couple of months-worth of chemicals from my locks. It also has the mandarin scent of the original shampoo which I appreciate.

The Conditioner
I’m definitely more excited about using the conditioner because… well, of this. I love the after-the-olive-oil treatment but I can’t exactly do that everyday, can I? My hair needs conditioning!

So after rinsing my hair, I immediately poured just the right enough amount of the Natural Moisturizing Conditioner on the palm of my hand. It’s richer than the shampoo, and has the consistency of lotion. So I rubbed it between my hands and lathered my hair. I ran it over my head and between the strands. And I kid you not, my fingers just went through the tangles right on the first pass. I thought it was because it had the product in it, so I shrugged and bundled my hair at the top of my head while I went through the rest of the motions of taking a bath. But when I rinsed it, my hair still felt soft and silky. I stayed under the water longer than I normally do because I thought I wasn’t rinsing the conditioner.

The next challenge is for how it would feel when my hair dries. I didn’t comb my hair after the bath and allowed it to air dry. I have curly hair so tangles are a normal part of life. I did break a comb once when I was trying to tame my hair, so yes, that really happens in real life. Anyway, I lost track of how long I sat, waiting for it to dry until I ran my fingers through my already semi-dry hair and encountered not one tangle.

I think I’m in love again.

So do I recommend this combo? Heck, yes. But of course you have to keep in mind that your hair might not react to it the same way as my hair did.

I can’t wait to try out the hair mask too. I’m thinking tomorrow. But since I already know that it works, having used the original scented one before, I just want to see how the jasmine scent works out.

So again, thank you Human Heart Nature for making these exceptional products.

Photo is from Human Heart Nature Facebook page.

I don’t have rosemary… or if I did, I wouldn’t know that I did, so I just did the bare essentials. I heated three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in the microwave just enough for it to be soothing warm rather than pang-litson-kawali hot, took a bath as usual then massaged my scalp and hair with heated oil. My hair is thick and long so the three tablespoons were just enough. And it was warm enough that I haven’t even massaged it into my scalp yet but I already feel relaxed.

We also ran out of plastic wrap so I heated a damp towel in the microwave. The instructions said two minutes but I checked at one and it was already toasty warm so I stopped at a minute. I piled my hair at the top of my head and wrapped it with the warm towel.

*sigh* Salon at home. I’ve been sitting here for the last ten minutes or so, and I still need about ten minutes more before I need to rinse the oil off then I’ll tell you how it goes. K?

After fifteen minutes…
Yup. It’s effective

I had to wash my hair twice to get all the excess oil out but my hair is now soft(er). Have to wait for it to dry though to see.

Much later…
Yup. It IS effective I’ll probably make it a once a week thing as my hair is always in desperate need of nourishment.

Aha! Have to get a haircut pa pala! :p Maybe over the weekend (again).

Image from Google.