[Book-It!] Diary ng Panget experience

I normally don’t conform to trends and such unless they are books. So when people started talking about this tagalog book, I knew I had to go search for it online because I won’t be flying back to the Philippines just to get my hands on it. In any case, I got lucky and found the free eBook.

Mahirap maging maganda

Bawat galaw mo tinitignan nila.

Magkamali ka, hindi makakatakas sa kanilang mga mata.

Ang mahirap pa, pag gusto mong mangulangot kahit patago...

Hindi mo magawa.

I don’t usually read tagalog books, actually scratch that, I NEVER read tagalog books so I was a bit nervous about how I was going to survive reading without my nose bleeding. But upon reading I’m happy to find that the novel is a hybrid of Tagalog and English. There were a lot of grammatical errors which would normally annoy me but this time I didn't let it get in the way so I happily read my way through the end.

I didn’t expect anything going into the book so I wasn’t that surprise to find the story predictable and dim. Jayr got a glimpse of a page of it and said it was rubbish but I was thoroughly entertained that I finished reading it in only 3 days. It was such an easy and mindless read which I think we need from time to time. These are the kind of books you would be reading during vacations or in the beach. Because it’s not so taxing plus characters are really funny.

I’m now in the hunt for book 2 and I don’t think my Tagalog reads will stop here. Feel free to let me know if you know any books of the likes.

Til next time,

jCel♥

Road to Healthy - Last update

My goodness we finally reached the last of my Road to Healthy 2013! Let’s recap how I did in the last 4 months, shall we?

September

Goal: Exercise 4-5 times a week

Verdict: Fail! Unfortunately, this month was awfully busy hence the lack of exercise. I did get to do it 2-3 times a week at most but I knew I could’ve done better. There were a lot of family gatherings then plus I got ill a few times but I know it’s no excuse!  

October

Goal: Eat healthier

Verdict: Happy to say that I've succeeded. I was able to incorporate a lot of fruits in my diet and less on the carbs. The results are staggering. However, because of the festivities I fell off the wagon but I've promised myself to get back to it once all the holidays are done.

November

Goal: Complete my 50 book challenge

Verdict: Every year I try to read 50 books and kept failing. I think of all the years, 2013 was the least I've read (boohoo!) however I am not discourage if anything I am more keen to do it again next year and hope I will succeed.

2013 Reading Challenge

Jcel has read 13 books toward her goal of 50 books.

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13 of 50 (26%)

view books

*oh the shame! Only 13 books out my 50 goal :(

December

Goal: Give DIY gifts

Verdict: Ha! I researched and all but I still didn't get to do it. There simply was not enough time! Work was crazy before Christmas… nonetheless I was able to budget my shopping and still gave good gifts. Well at least none of them said anything bad yet. LOL

So yeah that wraps up my Road to Healthy, it was a fun ride! I did think that I have become generally healthier especially with my eating habits and guess what people have noticed the physical change. Happy to announce that currently I have lost 10lbs. HURRAH! Clothes are fitting a lot better which also helps with being financially healthy because you know what they say “it’s cheaper to lose weight than to keep buying clothes that will fit”

I hope you enjoyed my journey as much as I did and who knows maybe I will keep it up to 2014.

See you next year!!!

jCel♥

[Book-It] Christmas Gift Guide 2013

Sadly I haven’t been able to read much this year but nonetheless here's a list of the books I’ve been eyeing on for me and for giving as presents. Here’s this year’s Book Gift Guide:

As with my previous book guide, there should always be a Mitch Albom book and just as well because he just released a new one, hurrah!!! I am a fan of all his previous books so I’m sure this will not disappoint.

This book won the Best Fiction of 2013 in Goodreads, ‘nuff said.

This one is for the Percy Jackson series fanatic as the new installment in the Heroes of Olympus just came out. Riordan's books is an excellent choice for teenage boys. 

This is a good gift for the young adults and a perfect book to start getting yourself into John Green’s writing. I’ve read 3 of his books and this one is my favorite by far.

One of my all time favorite book just came out with a new reprint version adorned in a super cute cover. This is perfect way to entice young readers to get into the classics.

This one is for those who want to give an inspirational book. Ann Voskamp’s style of writing is unusual but captivating, so full of description and passion.

I know it's only a few sleeps till Christmas but hopefully this post has helped those last minute shoppers, like me.  

Advcance Merry Christmas to all and hope you get to receive one of these awesome books in your gift stockings! :)

xoxo,

jCel

Let's Celebrate Jesus!

Christmas is nearing and yet because of all the catastrophic events that had happened it’s hard to say that this Christmas will be merry. As we all know the Philippines, particularly in Tacloban, Leyte was hit by super typhoon Yolanda which led to thousands of deaths. It was a devastating sight and heartbreaking to see my fellow Filipinos suffering. Nonetheless, I am grateful to all the people from different countries that willingly helped Visayas to get back on their feet [again]. I have witnessed that there is good in everyone and that we can be all united as ONE as long as we set aside our differences.

There are many circumstances in our lives that we wish we could avoid, but alas, we are limited to our very nature. We do not know what’s going to happen in the future no matter how many backup plans we have. The good news is God has given us HOPE when He sent His only Son to be born in a manger and gave his life on the cross for you and me. As long as we know WHO holds our future there’s always HOPE at every end of the dark tunnel of our lives.

Jesus said in Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Though bad situations hinder us from having a merry Christmas, we have to remember what the Lord Jesus Christ promised in His words. He promised to never leave us nor forsake us because He is with us always. In knowing this, it’s enough reason to be cheerful and joyful even when circumstances in our lives don’t seem to make sense.

Always, remember that Christmas is not about the gifts we receive, it’s not about how much you have in your bank account or whether there are or aren’t any food on the table for Noche Buena. Christmas is about celebrating JESUS and the hope that He brings. 

Isaiah 9:6

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

On behalf of MIXXED, Jcel and I wish you a very Merry Christmas! With your families and friends let us together celebrate the Hope of the world that is JESUS CHRIST! Let us Celebrate Jesus together for He is the true reason for this season! 

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!!!

Blessings,

Bex

Road to Healthy - 2nd update

Well what do you know… my phone just alarmed that it’s time for me to do my Road to Healthy update today! Oh how time flies, it has been 4 months since my last update and also can you believe it's already September? I honestly feel like we've just started the year. BER months usually fly by extremely fast I think it is because everyone is excited about Christmas and New Year ahead, I know I am!

Anyway, let’s see how I did in the last 4 months.

May goal was to be emotionally healthy but before I go any further I just want to say, I tried. I really (really) tried but sadly – no pun intended – I did not cry. I watched every suggested movie but none of them brought me to tears in the slightest. So unfortunately I did not succeed in my May goal but I still plan to find a movie that will bring me to tears so I’m still open for suggestions.

For my June goal, I said I wanted to eat less junk food. And the verdict: SUCCESS! My junk food cravings have lessened dramatically. I initially thought this would be a toughie because I am big junkie and chocolates are my (sweetest) weakness. Nowadays I can go by weeks without them. Although I still succumb to a few cravings every now and then but unlike before I would -and could- eat chocolates everyday.  

July was the start of my brown rice journey and with this I started cooking again. The brown rice was initially a debacle at home since my brother refuses to eat it but I stood my ground and he no longer sees the difference now. I was extremely happy my family had joined my brown rice journey as it really much healthier plus the fact that I started cooking again is really great as I find that whenever I cook I tend to eat less (big plus!!!).

Now for August I aimed to exercise. This was something I was really hesitant about because I know myself and I am not an active person. But I told myself, I’m not going to get any healthier by just slouching on the couch so… lo and behold I am exercising (!) so much so that I've been doing it 2-3 times a week for the whole month of August. *Gives self a (big fat) pat on the back* I never thought I’d be able to make it but really hard work and motivation is all you need. I started by doing simple exercises, which you can freely find in YouTube (my saving grace!). At most my exercises are 10-15 minutes long but if I have time or energy I will push myself to a 30-45 exercise. I will not call them “workouts” because they are just simple movements to keep you active a.k.a sweaty. Plus the word “workout” puts in too much pressure for me hehe. So far I am really enjoying the exercises I found and it has become kind of an obsession looking out new routines to do. I think the key is to switch things up and make it as fun as possible. What I do is mix a bit of cardio, stretching and some Yoga every now and then. My favorites to watch in YouTube are Fitness Blender, Blogilates and Feel Fit.  

So now for my future Goals…

September

I wanted to push myself a little harder so for September I wanted to try and exercise at least 4-5 days a week. Nothing too extreme just simple exercises, unless of course I feel like doing more. But I think this should be a good next level goal in my being active.

October

For October I want to train myself to eating healthy that is not to say I will be converting my meals to Green juices. No, I am not up for that and I don’t plan to. I just want to cook healthier meals.

November

By this month I actually hope (and pray) I have completed my 50 books challenge. At the moment I am 38 books away so I need to double time my reading this BER months!

December

I don’t think I would be able to stop myself from eating this month because really December is the month of FEASTS! However I wanted to do something different this year and force myself to give out more personal, homemade gifts. Hopefully they will appreciate this more as this involves time, effort, creativity and LOVE –in other words I want to give them less pricey gifts ahaha

Let’s hope I will be able to keep this up and really if I can do it so can you and it is never too late to start being healthy!

Till my next update…

Ciao,

jCel♥