Healthy Appetite

One thing that my husband and I always agree upon is food.   We both like dining out in fancy restaurants and trying new places.  However, our love for food tend to wreck havoc on our weight.  We try to eat healthy and go easy on our food intake, but it takes a lot of willpower to do so.  Between the two of us, my husband is more disciplined.  In fact,  a few months ago, with diet and exercise, he was able to lose a lot of weight in just a couple of months.  Me?  I have been gaining more than I should.  I know I really need to do something about my weight but it is very hard for me to contain my very healthy appetite.  Gym is also not my thing.  I get bored working out on those machines.  For me, it's more of a chore rather than enjoyment.  I prefer sports activities but with my hectic schedule (school and housework), I do not have the time to engage in regular sports activities.  Back home in the Philippines, I was actively engaged in badminton and bowling, and was also taking streetfighting lessons.  I was also more discriminating with the food that I eat.  Over here, with all those goodies readily available, it is very hard for me to exercise discipline.  I need the help of an  appetite suppressant to help curb my very healthy appetite.

Thanks Be to God!

I am looking out through the glass door to our balcony as I write this post and I can see the clear blue skies and the blue waters of the marina.  Towards the right, I can see the Magic Island.  Earlier, I was out at the lanai with a pair of binoculars scanning the happenings at Ala Moana Beach Park.  As usual,  I can see the joggers doing their early morning routine in this cool Sunday morning.

Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful day!

Thanks be to God 

for His indescribable gift.

-2 Cor. 9:15

Flirting with Sin

Every action that we make has its consequence.  It can either bring us eternal happiness or lead us to eternal damnation.  We should, therefore,  use carefully the talents that we have been blessed with, live accordingly, and always have our feet firmly planted in the ground.

We are familiar with the story of Samson, the strongest man in the Bible.  He could have been one of the greatest leaders in Bible history had he not squandered his life and wasted his potential and ability.  Let Samson's story serve as a warning to us, especially to those who have been blessed with material success,  a good career and and an easy life- that if we are not responsible stewards,  and allow ourselves to fall into the sweet temptation of sin, we might wake up one day losing everything we've got.   Samson's life is also a story of second chances.  God is a merciful and loving Father and He allows second chances to those who repent.

Like a person trapped in sin, Samson chose not to heed the warnings around him and continued to enjoy his sinful life.  In Judges 16:21 we are told that the "Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze chains, and he was a grinder in the prison."   

This is what sin does to a person: 

First, sin will blind you.  Sin will cause people to do irrational things.  A person blinded with sin can no longer discern right from wrong.  He thinks what he is doing is right; if not, justified.  We see cases of married persons who enter into "harmless flings."  Later on, the so-called "harmless" and  "friendly" fling turns into a sordid affair which causes them to leave their spouses, until they wake up one day to a more miserable life.

We should not flirt with sin.  When it comes knocking on our door,  no matter how enticing and beautiful it is,  no matter how good it makes us feel, we should never answer it.   Not everything that makes us feel "good" is good for us.  It is a lie.  Sin makes us blind.

Then,  sin will find you.  The spouse who does something "fishy" behind his spouse's back might feel a sense of euphoric excitement with his first sexual encounter with his friend with benefits.  He likes it that he does it over and over a few times more, thinking that as long as he is careful,  he is safe.   He is a fool for he is taking the bait.  "Be sure your sin will find you out." (Numbers 32:23)

And lastly, sin will grind you.  You will eventually pay the price of your actions.  You reap what you sow.  A trust is betrayed,  your marriage is broken, your reputation is tarnished, or worse, you will get an "ill-reputable disease" from your philanderings.  A person who commits adultery and  breaks the sacrament of marriage will eventually pay a price for it.

Samson is a concrete example of how sin destroyed a "big" person.  Once a person of important stature and strong powers, he was reduced to a nobody, a laughing stock, because he flirted with sin and later on became enslaved to it.

However, because he served a merciful God, he was given a second chance.   The Bible says that the Lord gave him back his strength,  and he was able to exact vengeance to the Philistines, but he died along with them.    Samson's life would have had a better and happier ending had he not fall wayward and allowed sin to overtake his life.  Although he was pardoned by God who gave back his strength, he still reaped the consequences of his wrongful acts.  

Moral of the story:  flirt not with sin.  It may appear enticing and fun, but the consequences are not worth it.

Woman Talk: Sexy Lingerie

Although the  word "lingerie" applies to all undergarments, the term usually connotes to women's undergarments which are visually appealing.  What comes to mind are sexy undergarments made of lace, satin or silk.

There are many types of sexy lingerie to choose from: from mild to wild, from sweet and sensual to naughty and risque.  Whatever it is you fancy,  just make sure you're comfortable with it, and you choose the style that flatters your body type.  If you are conscious about problem areas in your body, worry not, for today, there are lingeries which shape or cover the problem areas.

How do you feel about wearing sexy lingerie ?  You don't have to be Angelina Jolie- but when you're wearing something sexy, it does make you feel sexy, too,  doesn't it?  When you feel good about yourself, you become more confident and daring, which is projected in the way you carry yourself, thus, making you more appealing to your partner.

Let's face it: men are visual, and nothing is more appealing to our partners than seeing their hot mommas oozing with oomph!

Photo Hunt: Hands

Hubby's hands

photohunt

Women Saving Women

These days, women have become more aware and assertive of their rights.  There are also a lot of associations and programs organized by women themselves and geared towards helping those who are victims of abuse on account of their gender.   One of these is the most popular women's website in the world, and which is also the number one most popular abused women's forum in the internet.  Founded by dating expert Stephany Alexander, this website has received massive media attention since its inception in 2002.  The website aims to help women against abusive and cheating men by keeping a database, reputed to be the world's largest database rating men and specifically targeting those who are abusive and who are cheating against their partners.   Women can post the names, photos and profiles of the "culprits" to warn other women against potential 'disasters.'  However, in the spirit of fair play, the men are also allowed to give their side of the story.

Aside from keeping a database of names of men, the website offers free advise on relationships, online dating, cheating partners, sexual abuse, stalking and other relationship problems.  Giving advise is Stephany Alexander who not only is a dating expert but was also a victim of abuse herself.  A volunteer doctor is also on hand to give free medical advise.  The website has a forum open for all women where they could discuss various issues affecting them.  Various free resources are made available and polls are conducted to further help women cope with their relationship issues.  On the lighter side,  one can find free custom women's cartoon comedies, women's games and even free tarot card readings.   A percentage of the proceeds of this website is donated to abused women and children's charities.  Isn't it good news for us women to be able to come together to network and support each other through sites like WomanSavers.com?

Can You Spot a Liar?

It, definitely, comes with the territory.  

My results:

You Can Definitely Spot a Liar

Maybe you have good instincts. Or maybe you just have a lot of experience with liars. Either way, it's pretty hard for someone to pull a fast one on you. You're like a human lie detector.

Can You Spot a Liar?

Monochrome Friday: Historic Lahaina

Lahaina, Maui, HI

Lahaina, the Fun Capital of Maui

While in Maui, we stayed in the historic town of Lahaina, known as Maui's party-town.  In the past, Lahaina was the playground of the Hawaiian royalty and later, a bawdy whaling port. Today,  it is considered as the Fun Capital of Maui, where history and culture come alive.  

The Lahaina harbor which used to be a port of whaling ships is now filled with cruise boats which offer snorkeling and whale watching tours.  

Lahaina stands out as one of the few places in Hawaii that has managed to preserve its 19th century heritage.    It is in this "old" town where y0u can find high-end, fine-dining restaurants, casual eateries and oceanfront bars, a luau, stage show, a magic show, shops, souvenir stores and art galleries.  Parking is a problem in the small town of Lahaina.  However, the place is best explored on foot.

My Ideal Bed

For years, I have been experiencing discomfort on the right side of my lower back.   Massage (or Salonpas) temporarily alleviates the pain but after a while it comes back.    I have read that the only time during which the muscles and other structures of the spine can relax is while we are sleeping; and if a person is suffering from back disorder or injury, it is especially important to sleep well in order to help the healing process.   For which reason, it is very important for me to have the correct sleeping position as well as the right mattress.   

Based from my own experience, having the right mattress is a key factor in reducing lower back pain.  When you're using the right mattress, you wake up well-rested and without the soreness and stiffness that a person with a lower back problem usually experience.

A couple of months ago,  my husband experienced severe pain in his lower back.  Fortunately,  physical therapy cured the problem; however, from that time on, we decided that when it's time for us to change our mattress, we should buy a sleep number bed.  In fact, we've already started looking into one.  We like the bed's special feature where you can choose to make it as soft or as firm, at a click of a button.  There is also a dual control so that we both can choose the firmness and softness of the side on which each of us sleeps on.   However, the price is a big consideration.  As it is twice as expensive than the normal mattress, we have to do more research as to the pros and cons of the bed, or find a more reasonably priced alternative, before finally deciding to purchase one.

Hunting for Whales On Land

Starting from the month of November up to mid-April, humpback whales travel to Hawaii to mate and give birth; it is in Maui where most of these whales are found.  

The shallow seas off  Maui's south and western shores as well as the warm water temperature and lack of predators makes Maui one of the world's top whalewatch spots.

If you are in Maui during the "whale" season, you should not miss the opportunity of going whalewatching. There are whalewatch cruises available but for one who does not have the megabucks to shell out,  you can watch a whale breaching, pec slapping or spy hopping from the shore, for free, of course.  Just arm yourself with a pair of binoculars and look for a  good vantage point.  The historic port town of Lahaina has a lot of them.

One of the popular free whale watching places is the Papawai Scenic Lookout. A member of a non-profit whale foundation is even on hand to answer questions and lend you binoculars.

Insurance Quotes

 These days, when you enter into transactions,  you are sometimes  asked to give your social security number.  However, with the proliferation of identity theft, people should be very careful about giving out personal information like social security and driver's license numbers.   

Good news for vehicle owners in search for auto insurance.  There is a company which can give you insurance quotes no personal information  (like social security number and driver's license)  is needed.  All you have to give are the usual information like name, contact number, date of birth, driving history, and some information regarding your vehicle, and you can get the insurance quote that you need.

Haleakala: House of the Sun

Sunday morning, we left Lahaina at around 4:20 a.m. for Haleakala National Park, Maui's main attraction.  Haleakala, which means "house of the sun" in Hawaiian, attracts more than 1.3 million visitors a year who ascend the 10,023 foot high mountain to watch the sunrise (or sunset). 

Haleakala is the largest dormant volcano in the world, although, officially, it is considered to be active, but not currently erupting.  The volcano's crater which is 3,000 feet deep, 7 1/2 miles long by 2 1/2 miles wide and encompassing 19 square miles, could hold Manhattan.

Hawaiians recognized Mt. Haleakala as a sacred site.  Today, New Agers also revere the mountain as one of the earth's powerful energy points.

Look on the map of Maui and you will see a black wiggly line that looks like WWWW.  That is the Haleakala Crater Road, also known as Highway 378, one of the fastest-ascending roads in the world.  

Going up Mt. Haleakala is an experience.  The zigzag  road passes through big puffy clouds.  We drove up there at pre-dawn so it was too dark to see the view on our way up.  However, coming down, we saw views of the West Maui mountains and the Pacific Ocean. 

As you ascend the slopes, the temperature drops and at the top it can be 30 degrees cooler than it was at sea level.  It is a must to gear yourself with VERY thick clothing, head cover and gloves.  At the 10,023 foot summit, the weather changes fast, and with wind chill, the temperature was below freezing. We had our sweaters on but failed to bring gloves.  You could just imagine the pain we had to endure. LOL!

Most visitors (like us) drive up the summit in predawn darkness to catch the sun rise.  One article I read said that Mark Twain called the place as the "sublimest spectacle" of his life. From the summit, one is also able to catch a glimpse of the snow-covered Mauna Kea in the Big Island, the world's tallest mountain (measured from the ocean floor).

Legend tells that the volcano got its name from a very clever trick that the demigod Maui pulled on the sun.  Maui's mother, the goddess Hina, complained one day that the sun sped across the sky so quickly that her tapa cloth couldn't dry.  So Maui devised a plan.  The next morning, he went on the top of the great mountain and waited for the sun to rise.  Quickly, Maui lassoed the sun, bringing its path across the sky to an abrupt halt.  The sun begged Maui to let go.  Maui assented on one condition:  that the sun slow its trip across the sky to give the island more sunlight.  The sun agreed.  In honor of the agreement, the Hawaiians called the mountain, Haleakala (house of the sun).