What Michelle Does

     Happy Holidays everyone!

I hope your Christmas was as wonderful and bedazzling as the colorful Christmas lights!

I spent mine with my sister, Lawrence's family and of course, my jolly dogs. We had a simple dinner and coffee to cap off the night. It was simple but we had the best time.

Though currently saving for our upcoming trips, we had to fly to Manila, specifically Makati, to process some documents.

It was a first for me so I didn't really know what to expect. What I do know is that it wasn't the kind of Manila I had in mind.

Touchdown!
December 26, 2017. Typhoon Nina slammed into Luzon area the morning we got to NAIA. It was pouring like crazy and many flights were cancelled. We stayed and slept in the airport until the wee hours of the morning. It was also a holiday, which means offices were closed. So we basically had the whole day to ourselves!

Lawrence had stayed in Makati for quite some time so he gave showed me around like a pro tour guide. Lucky me. :)

Check - in time was 2:00 p.m. We casually strolled along Glorietta and boy was the whole place clean. No trash, no vendors, no people jay walking. I felt like I was in a whole different dimension. It did have tons of good spots to take photos so I took the opportunity to practice.

After dinner, we had coffee at Seattle's to prepare ourselves for the day to come.
We both had a loooooong day but the change in routine was just what we needed.


Mission accomplished!

How was your holiday?



xx,
michelle

     Running does make your muscles, especially those on the legs, tight. It's undeniable since you can definitely feel it...in all parts. The more I pushed myself to do better in running, the lesser my flexibility got. I don't know about you guys but I recall not being able to do a monkey split or plow just two months after training. Now it's been more than a year and I'm back to square one in my yoga practice.

     There is this annoying back pain I've been telling you about, right? It got worse from all the sitting I've been doing at work. Hello flat  butt! What better way to relieve that than by doing yoga. It never fails. Without hesitation, I grabbed my beloved mat and headed to YogaHub in Raintree Mall.

     Who doesn't love discounts?

(c) Yoga Hub

     What perfect time it was because they had a 50% discount on all walk in students. Yay! And the best part? I was going to attend a Vinyasa class. It's a personal favorite! I love how smooth sailing the flow is and how there's a lot of variation you can do. Plus, you don't have to force yourself in doing the poses. You know what they often remind you in class, respect what your body can do. :) 

     An hour of stretching and core work proves to be effective in mitigating muscle pain. Well, in my case, shoulder and back pain! It is like giving your body a mini massage with the benefits of detoxing  and relaxation since you are going to sweat the stress and junk off. The teacher was also very nice and lively! Pretty good!

     Yes, you love the endorphin release and thrill when you run. However, give yoga a chance. If you're aiming for weight loss, this'll give your body a surprise. Not only yoga but there are gazillions of workouts you can do. Our body adapts quickly to anything, I'm used to working my legs...but I haven't done enough core work. Yes, variation is the key to preventing boredom. Who says working out has to be routinary and dull? Maybe you just gotta' try new stuff out!

Michelle

I took Mico out for a run yesterday!

But Mico is currently admitted. No, I'm not talking about a person, I'm a talking about a dog...and this shirt, would help Mico heaps.

You guys know how much I respect and love animals...any living creature at that. This includes our four legged friends. People call them "askal" short for "asong kalye." But for animal lovers, we prefer to call them "aspin" --- "asong pinoy."

A couple of months ago, Gretel, a friend of mine conducted a drive that helped change the world of these helpless and neglected strays in Mandaue City Pound. Though based in Thailand, she called in for volunteers to work together in giving these furry babies the basic needs they surely deserve. With the help of other compassionate people of the same goal, strays are finally being given love and attention that was long overdue.

Saving Strays Cebu aims to, from the name itself, SAVE the asong pinoys roaming around the streets. Not limited to that, they also give aid to abused dogs and pet owners call for justice for their beloved pets.







You cannot imagine the ignorance some people have. It breaks my heart every time I see an abused animal. :(

Care to help out?
Adopt. Foster. Donate. Volunteer.
These animals long for a home.
You or someone you know might be willing to give them a forever home! :)



For more information visit:
Saving Strays Cebu




Cheers!
Michelle

     This day was far from quotidian. It was extra special and significant to me personally because..because..because...it's my natal day! I'm officially 27!

     I got up late last Saturday not realizing it was my birthday. Still feeling muzzy from slumber, I didn't really mind the sound of the door opening and foot steps thinking that it was just my sister coming in to get some stuff. Suddenly, a heart-shaped box filled with Ferrero chocolates dropped on the bed. Oh to my surprise it was Lawrence. And while having breakfast, my sister ran back and forth to prepare another 'surprise' for me. (*°∀°)

     Happy candle and cakes day to me! What a way to jump start my day!

    The initial plan was to out with him and my sister but then I thought I wanted to celebrate with my dogs and manang, too. After all, we are less than five residing in the house. Lawrence and I went mall-hopping in the afternoon. We brought food and had dinner at home! It is always a special day every time we would hang out. It doesn't really matter where.

     I am constantly thankful for each day that I am blessed with. It is not something I take for granted because I am subconsciously aware that maybe one day, unexpectedly, I would say bye bye. And poof! That's it.

    It's hard for us to look beyond our day to day lives, especially when we are drenched in the dullness of diurnal routine. But I do encourage you to see through the schedules and push yourself harder. Help a bit more sincerely, be more than happy, run the extra mile, and find joy in what is simple. :)

     Live life to the fullest---literally.

     

27 and counting,

Michelle

     Saturday. The time of the week when I get to wake up late and enjoy every waking moment of this short life a bit more. And by moment I mean typically the simple things that most people just fly by without savoring...including the slow sipping your morning cup of heaven.

     As I was about to put my usual grind, that is Vietnamese coffee, into the machine, I noticed the bag of Sumatra Mandailing on the counter and had a quick change of heart. I tore the top gently and smelt the oh so good aroma it gave out. Bliss. Ah how joyful was I!

     Sumatra is one of the three islands of the Malay Archipelago in Indonesia, including Java and Sulawesi. A number of Indonesian islands were formed by volcanoes (fact of the day!). I think the nutrients from the soil makes it super ideal to grow coffee! The name Mandailing is an ethnic group in Indonesia and are found in the northern part of the island of Sumatra. It is not a place guys. (second fact of the day!) 

     Giling Basah is an age-old Sumatran coffee making process. It means "wet hulled." Here, the farmers pick coffee and hull them...just picture a grater that removes the skin of a fruit, only that they're using a manual machine to do so. This then goes through an overnight fermentation. Then they kind of dry the coffee for a couple of hours until this reaches at 50% moisture content...not like other kinds which have only about 10% to 11% moisture content. Ah, I could go on an on about this but it's quite a long and tedious system...and read. But you see, every time I get to try a new kind of coffee, I read about it...a lot. That adds up to my coffee experience!

      Let's cut to the chase, shall we? Sumatra Mandailing coffee has a bold, strong flavor minus the acidity. It's has a trademark taste and is nothing like the other types of Indonesian coffee I have tried. It is a lighter version of Vietnamese coffee with notes of tobacco and spice! It's smooth and balanced. That being said, it undoubtedly will give you a pleasant coffee experience.

I'm not a coffee expert but I want to get to know my coffee much better.

Get caffeinated!

Michelle