Tag Archives: massage

Blur

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Today was just a blur. I drove at 6:45 am and it was surprisingly smooth and traffic jam-free. I really love Skyway 3 since it allowed me to reach Laguna under 2 hrs without having to traverse EDSA or C5.

Skyway 3 on a Friday morning ❤️. Photo by Twin I.

It could have been just 1.5 hrs but we stopped at McDonald’s drive through for breakfast plus I needed coffee. We also stopped at my regular flower shop to buy my mom roses (as is my habit) and arranged Malaysian mums for my dad’s niche at the columbarium since it was his 17th death anniversary last month.

The Ogawa massage chair that my mom loves. Photo by Twin A.

I had a quick turn on that massage chair that had a lot of customers today. 🤣

Werk werk werk! I used my nephew’s Lightning McQueen table that he outgrew.

Then I edited some stories, published my own story I co-wrote with out Manila reporter, and I slept for the rest of the day. My girls didn’t have classes today because it was QC Day—the birthday of Manuel L. Quezon. The father of the National Language. The holiday only applies to schools in QC.

In lieu of regular classes, I had Kuya H tackle the girls’ supplemental review sessions for their upcoming mock entrance exam. THREE hours today. He told me the girls do not have major problems because they understand the math concepts; Twin A is good at complex math problems but panics/is overcome with carelessness when solving the basic ones. Twin I, on the other hand, is good at the basics but panics at the more complex ones.

Review session with Kuya H.

He said they need to solve more Math problems. The issue, however, is we already ran out of practice exams. So I asked him if he could bring his old manuals and practice problem sets for the girls to work on. Tomorrow they will have more review sessions with Kuya H. And my nephew is happy he has more money on his GCash account. Win-win.

UPDATE: The review center announced tonight that the mock entrance exam is moved to next week. 😶

Meanwhile, my sisters told me I ballooned in the last two weeks since they last saw me. Ah, being locked up for two weeks at home with no exercise will really make me a blimp. Imagine, I was expending a minimum of 400kcal (on some days it’s 700+ kcal) in Singapore for 10 days because of all the walking that I did. Then it came to an abrupt halt when I came back to Manila. My body compensated for the lost calories by craving breakfast or dinner, which I normally didn’t have. I had minimal exercise because I didn’t bike or walk since I was just holed up in my room. Tadaaa! I gained all the weight I had shed off.

So tomorrow morning I will be walking around the campus, in my old stomping grounds, so I will be inspired again to get back in shape. 🤸

Mmm… It’s surprisingly cooler here. We only have a stand fan now but I find myself needing a thin blanket. Ah well, I have a forest as my backyard so it’s at least several degrees lower where we are right now, about 25 C.

Back to civilization

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Edsa is such a nutcase even on Sundays. Road repairs were left unfinished, causing major roadblocks that choked Edsa near Ortigas area. Now I remember why I don’t want to go back.

But I want to sleep in my own bed. *Sigh* Hopefully next year I don’t have to confront Edsa daily.

We should have been at home by 1:09 pm but I decided to drop by SM Makati to grab stuff that would keep the girls occupied now that their classes are over. They have their birthday money to use for whatever so they were free to buy even useless things.

Then we decided to eat out and not bother cooking at home. After four days of resort food, we had some comfort food.

Gyoza. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
Salmon roll. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
Demolished. She’s so proud of herself. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
Her comfort food. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

I’ve been trying to book Zennya massage 💆 but couldn’t find any available therapist. I think I may have to walk to the nearby spa to have my diving-induced body aches attended to. I’m too tired to bother now. Tomorrow I will be so busy (I have to drive all the way to Conrad Hotel) to attend a stockholders meeting and press conference. No time for massage. 😔

I had my consultation with my shrink yesterday (via Google Meet) and she said I’m making good progress now that I can handle myself without alprazolam. The stress and anger I had when I discovered the unfair treatment at work didn’t cause me the same level of anxiety as much as J did, so I didn’t have to take alprazolam. I’ve been handling work-related stress and anger for 22 years so in the grand scheme of things it has been inconsequential compared to the triggering effect J has on me.

Because of my progress, my shrink said we would only meet every other month. Great! My shrink was happy that I was finally happy. When we were talking, she saw I was dripping wet as I just came onshore from my dive that afternoon. She said it was good that I am finally doing things that I loved to do and was no longer living inside my head. I was no longer stuck. She said I have already entered the stabilization phase.

I hope there would be no more triggers. But just in case my shrink said if something happens like in February, I shouldn’t wait two months before I talk to her—I need to schedule a session with her, ASAP.

Food hacks and onsens

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Instant noodles hack. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

I learned an unhealthy but delicious food hack from a friend via her Instagram post. I copied this instant noodle hack and wrote my own. It was interesting.

THIS IS A GAME CHANGER. I got this from (name of friend) and this does not taste like Lucky Me Instant Chicken noodles!

First, you grate one clove of garlic in a bowl, then add the seasonings, one raw egg, onion leeks or green onions or whatever you have on hand, pepper, and a dollop of mayonnaise (Kewpie for best results 襤). Mix it all.

Cook the noodles in boiling water until al dente. Pour the boiling water into the bowl of the mixed mush that you have and let it rest until your egg is cooked. Add your noodles and top it with bok choy.

It’s as creamy as Ramen Nagi and the raw garlic was ❤️.

I’ve been watching June Xie of Delish because she has so many food adventures with her budget eats. They’re labor intensive but you gotta do what you gotta do if you have a limited budget

Even here in Manila I can’t do the USD 25 a week challenge. I spend like PHP 725 (USD 14.50) on veggies alone for a week. Adding fruits mean USD 20 a week.

So yeah, planting vegetables is the way to go.

I’m dying to have an hour in an onsen. I’m thinking if I could risk a trip to Lasema in Makati tomorrow as they just opened the hot tubs for public use. I could have the Karada chiro-massage combination then dip in Lasema.

Or book a 3-hr treatment in I’m Onsen Spa for the same price. Their website says their hotel facilities are closed.

Or I visit my chiropractor, Dr. Ken Sison, in Makati then proceed to Lasema. He cured my back pain after 6 sessions 10 years ago after giving birth to my twins.

My spine and lower back have missed him…

It’s about time that I pamper myself to the hilt. With all the bullshit I’ve been through, yeah, a spine adjustment, hot tub and a massage are just right.

I remember spending one night and an entire morning in onsens one spring holiday in Kansai. I’ve never felt so clean in my life after spending the night in Kinosaki.

From the train station, I walked along the main road of this quaint little town that has been a destination for those seeking comfort from hot spring baths for more than 1,000 years. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

I booked a ryokan there and arrived at around 5-ish I think. I was shown to my room and how to set up my futon.

Photo by CallMeCreation.com
Macha and a rice cake welcomed me. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
I changed into a yukata provided by the ryokan and flipped-flopped on my wooden sandals to try one or two of the seven old onsens. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
Like this one. It was lovely. Temperature was dropping to 16-15 degrees Celsius while the water was around 40-50 degrees. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
The ryokan didn’t serve meals so I went to the nearest kombini to buy a bento dinner. For a kombini dinner, it was good. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
I went out again in my yukata and geta to experience the cool and quiet night. During the hanami festival this river would have been lovely, with sakura bursting along the banks. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

Before retiring for the night, I had another hour at my ryokan’s own onsen. I felt so clean!

So for tomorrow, I just want to spend an entire day treating myself to a spa or just pamper myself with whatever wellness procedure I can have ❤️

Massage via GoLife, Go-Jek’s all-around service provider on a motorbike

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Yes, I know. I am pathetic. So after the training session with colleagues, I went straight to my hotel room to catch some Zzzzzzzs. But then the little laminated card on my table beckoned…advertising a 60 min Javanese massage for IDR 295,000 (PHP 1,074). I was almost tempted. So I asked Durian Writer if the price was reasonable.

He said it was too expensive when I can have a 90 min massage via Go-Jek’s GoLife app for half the price.

I downloaded the app. But then Durian Writer said I should start the process of verification as soon as possible because it takes a while before a user can get cleared.

The app requires a person to upload an ID or passport, then a selfie with the ID/passport. Then GoLife backend will clear…it may take an hour or 24 hrs…

I was getting impatient so I went out and tried to look for alternative massage places. There was one at the back of my hotel.

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Their receptionists were a bit dense, unfortunately. One of them said their available therapists are male and it would only start at 7:30 pm. The females are available at 11 pm (they close at 12 am). Would I be booking the male therapists? Errr…

So I walked away and tried searching on Google Map the nearest massage place again. This time it pointed me to one in Sarinah. I went in search for it but there was nothing! I couldn’t find it! I got hungry and ended up at KFC. Durian Writer gave a remark that was close to a curse for eating KFC.

I resigned and went back to my room. Then I checked GoLife. Hurray! I was cleared, or I thought I was cleared. Everything was in Bahasa so I was just guessing. I tried booking and was able to proceed so I guess I got cleared.

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I have no idea what the app was telling me but I just assumed that TUNAI means cash. I double-checked with Google Translate, so yeah, it means cash.

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So there, a therapist responded to my request. I had to tell her though that I am a foreigner and that I do not speak Bahasa.

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Durian Writer told me to correct my therapist that I am not a pak (sir) but rather I am a wanita (woman).

Her massage was strong to the point of being painful–the good painful. Similar to the Chinese reflexology massages I had in Singapore and Taiwan. 90 minutes of that. For half the price that the hotel is offering.

So yeah, GoLife makes it easier for you in Indonesia. As Durian Writer said, he doesn’t need to hire a maid in Indonesia (he has just transferred to Malang in East Java); all he needs to do is book a cleaning service via GoLife.