~uGoGirl~

Whoever said that trampolines are just for kids, most likely do not know the fitness and health benefits of this equipment. Yep, trampolines are not just for kids; they’re for fitness minded adults as well.

With as little as five (5) minutes a day, you will reap health benefits from rebounding on even just a mini-trampoline. In fact, the art of bouncing or rebounding on an unstable surface, according to some studies, “[sic] has long been recognized as an excellent source of cardiovascular exercise.” To cap it off, bouncing is not only more gentle on your joints and the musculoskeletal system compared to running, it is also known to improve sleep, reduce tension, and increase strength and endurance.

Below are some of the health and fitness benefits of bouncing, rebounding, and the use of trampolines:

• Rebounding exercises on mini trampolines strengthens and tones all body systems.
• It reduces your body fat.
• It firms your arms, legs, thighs, abdomen, and hips.
• Rebounding helps increase your agility.
• It provides an aerobic effect for your cardiopulmonary systems.
• Rebounding helps overcome depression and negativity.
• It can rejuvenate your body when it is tired, and generally puts you in a state of mental and physical wellness.

Trampolines are a wonderful thing. They are not mere toys, and using it for rebounding exercise will definitely help you get the most out of life.

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I have been playing badminton since I was a teen and I can say that it has many advantages! First, you get to keep your body in shape while having fun, and second is you get to meet and greet a lot of people. If you are pretty lucky, then you also get to meet big artists and Hollywood celebrities.

I met a very interesting person in one of our badminton games - he was a san francisco estate attorney and we talked about a lot of things. He was actually the one who introduced me to probate loans. Talking to him enlightened me about probating last will and testaments and many others. I thought estate attorneys only know about estate affairs, but he proved me wrong!

So don’t think about badminton as boring, because I can most definitely go on all day debating with you to prove that you are very wrong!

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Personally, one of the best forms of relaxation is watching a movie marathon or catching up on episodes of TV shows I’ve missed. This is why in every house I chance upon visiting, one of the things I immediately take into account is their TV.

Until now though, nothing beats the home cinema at my friend, Joie’s house. They have customized plasma lift made out of wood that is self-raising or self-lowering. That is, at a simple touch of a button, their flat panel TV can be hidden inside the console when not in use and to prevent theft. It’s quite interesting. I might buy one for myself sometime when I have the money.

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With my resignation, effective September 15, I’ll be having more free time since I intend to just study PHP and MySQL online while doing some freelance writing. I intend to use that free time wisely by taking courses that I have postponed for several years; one of which is recreational cooking classes.

For people like me who savors and devours food with passion, it’s only appropriate that I learn proper technique and seasonal ingredients. That way, when the occasion arises, I can just grab any chefs free recipes and prepare it.

Right now, there’s a huge variety of classes that teach how to cook virtually every food on earth. All classes are of course hands-on so students can truly learn through participation. There are daytime classes, weekend classes and evening cooking classes to suit every schedule. I think I’ll go for the evening cooking class so I can grab a coffee with old friends after each class.

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Last July 2, on our monthly general assembly, my boss insisted that we each cook a dish and bring it for our first-ever pot luck lunch. This was initiated by our endless, but more than de rigueur, grievances with our everyday catered lunches (as one of my officemates described our lunches, “You’d envy those that are starving because at least they aren’t FORCED to eat these.”).

Anyhow, the pot luck lunch is actually a contest on who can cook better than our caterer, and who can bring the most appetizing dish. At the end of the almost-two-buffet-rounds-per-person lunch, my boss asked us to vote for the best dish (excluding the ones we prepared). Guess which dish got 5 out of 12 votes? My Chicken Curry! ^_^

Considering that it’s the only decent dish I can cook (minus all the fried ones), and I just learned it this year for my sister’s birthday, I think I may have a future in cooking. I ought to start trying out new dishes. Perhaps even enroll in a cooking school such as http://www.baychef.com/ and try to make a living out of it afterwards. Hmmmm…

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I went to Bulacan last March 4 to get away from my usual house-office routine. I spent two nights and two days at my friend’s house – specifically, in a small, comfortable, modern hut in their garden – to experience a relaxing provincial life. We went swimming, hiking, trekking, biking, duck egg-gathering, and pond-fishing.

It was my first time to go fishing. And I was really proud to have caught two Tilapia. I had an easy time catching the first one – I chalked it up as beginner’s luck. The second one was the tough one. It took me around 20 to 30 minutes (considering that it IS just a pond) just to catch it. The second fish I caught was what I deemed as my prized Tilapia because it was a painstaking effort for me to wait for it to bite off my poor, helpless worm-bait.

My prized Tilapia was also the one that reminded me of the importance of patience and the priceless reward/s you get out of practicing it. During the 20 to 30-minute wait, I had several attacks of what-the-hell-am-I-stupidly-waiting-for-when-I-can-easily-buy-a-bigger-one-in-the-market. It was a tough battle I almost lost.

“The one great ingredient in successful fly-fishing is patience. The man whose fly is always on the water has the best chance. There is always a chance of a fish or two, no matter how hopeless it looks. You never know what may happen in fly-fishing.”

- Francis Francis

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In 2005, I joined Manila Kendo Club with a mixture of curiosity, apprehension, and excitement. Kendo, a form of Japanese sword fighting, was recommended to me by one of my senseis in Aikido when I was in high school. And the fact that one of my favorite anime characters – Kenshin Himura- is skilled in the art of sword added more appeal to it. Well, there’s also the keiko scene in My Sassy Girl which made me want to have my own bogu (armor) set.

I have always known that all forms of sport or activity, especially if it’s a martial art, will require a lot of dedication and patience to master it. But it was only when I joined Kendo that I learned how important patience is.

One kendo-ka shared, “Kendo used to be based on actual killing techniques. It was based around the principle of trying to end the fight as quickly as possible. So if you sever the spine, cut off the head, or cut off the wrists, the fight’s over.”

To be able to achieve this type of skill, you need to concentrate on physical development, etiquette, mental development, and alertness. Nevertheless, Kendo’s ultimate goal is this: ki-ken-tai-ichi (spirit, sword and body as one).

Cutting or slicing with your sword, no matter how efficient you perform it, is mediocre unless you slice and cut with your spirit, sword, and body in harmony with each other. It will take time to attain this level. In fact, even some Kendo practitioners in dan level admit to occasional lapses in achieving this. And this, my friend, is where patience comes in.

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