It’s been two weeks now since my friend went on a “No Rice” diet. During lunch while I am enjoying a full meal, she is just eating viands. She eats all meat like chicken, pork and fish she only skips the carbs on rice. I don’t know if this is effective since she still ate other food that could contain higher calories. She didn’t consult any dietitian. I just hope that it will be effective on her since she don’t want also to take any diet pills, which I think is good.

I am not a fan of diet pills because I don’t want to take the risk of its side effects. I’ve heard about this medically supervised weight loss program called hcg. and I think this is more advisable for my friend. A person who wishes to undergo this program need not have to endure the pains of surgeries, outrageous exercise program or starving herself just to get fit. And since it’s supervised, a person who’s undergoing this treatment is assured that she will not exceed and will only lose the weight that she should get rid of. Losing weight more than what is advisable for any one is not healthy. I’ve heard about Nicole Richie’s drastic weight lose which she attributed to stress and not eating enough. Yes she lost weight but the way she loses it is unhealthy. HCG on the other hand is a safe way to lose weight since it’s a program built around a low calorie diet coupled with small dose of a hormone that can help stimulate the metabolism. Thousands of health conscious people have already tried this diet treatment program and found it effective.

Getting in shape has a lot of work at times but it’s better to get fit than taking the risk of having gastric bypass surgery due to obesity that people often ignored. So if you’re resolution this year is to lose weight, believe that you can attain it. And if you need help, try the hcg program. It’s more effective and safe.

Two of my goals for this year is to have enough savings and to get out of debt. And to attain this, I'm reading good materials (books and online) that will help and guide me. I also follow this blog where I got some budgeting and saving tips that is aligned to my financial perspective. You can check her blog to read some good points on how she also try to carry on with her goals on her family's finances. I got from her links to download free budgeting forms and spreadsheets that I find really effective. You can download them here, here and here if you're interested.

Getting out of debt, Leaving within your means, sticking to a budget, saving and avoiding over spending are great challenges for me this year but I do pray that I can attain these goals.

The love month is coming in a few weeks and I’m sure a lot of guys are now planning something to make Valentine’s Day a memorable day for the girl he loves. While some guys are waiting for a positive answer for the long courtship stage, married couples on the other hand are planning for a romantic dinners, cruises, or a romantic vacation somewhere. Others choose this day to propose. And nowadays, guys aren’t doing this the traditional way. They are now thinking of more creative ways to pop the question.

Don’t know how to do it? Well, I’ll give you some true-to-life samples. My husband’s cousin experienced a very romantic and touchy proposal. Her fiancé proposed during one of their prayer meetings and he asked some of their friends to help him do his drama. They both cried during that time because they are inside a church when her fiancé proposed. I also read a story of a guy who proposed to his girl after watching a concert of their favorite singer. It was so romantic. The guy talked to the organizer of the show before it starts so he can have a time to go to the center stage and do his gimmick. The girl loved it so much. I also saw a video of a proposal in YouTube where the super techy guy used a number of mobiles phones and programmed them to convey his message.

Creativity is really the trick. And you guessed right, all these guys immediately received the “yes!” answer from these girls. How about you? Are you hoping that you’ll also experience the sweetest and most romantic proposal? Well, for me, if I’ll be engaged again, I’m dreaming of a proposal in a romantic cruise with a serenade and a dinner after. The cool breeze of the ocean will add up to the spice of that day. How romantic! So guys, don’t just hit the question. Do it creatively and filled with surprises.

I'm now on my 32nd week and yes, I already feel the anxiety of giving birth! We visited my OB last Saturday for my check-up and she said that starting this month, I'll visit her every other week. And since I'm giving birth by C-Section, she asked us to choose the the date between Feb. 22-27 for my scheduled CS operation. Now, hubby and I are still undecided. We really want baby#2 to come out on March but I guess he really wants to come out early.

So now, I'm on the stage of preparing my hospital bag and the things that the baby and I will be needing. I've also coordinated with our HR department regarding the government papers that I'll be using during my stay in the hospital. I'll be taking a leave next month so I'm also arranging everything that my reliever will need once I'm on leave.

Yes, I'm quite busy :D

Do you play Bingo? I don't but I enjoy playing Human Bingo. Do you know that game? It’s usually played as ice breakers during meetings or group gatherings. I first played it in a training seminar that I attended last year. We were given a paper containing pictures and words written in boxes. What we did was find the picture or words in a box within the group of participants and have them sign in the box. The first to complete filling up the boxes with the participant’s signature is the winner. It was really fun especially the part of going around and finally finding what the box requires.

Another game of this kind is the Road Trip Bingo. This one is a fun game that can be played by group of friends or family on a vacation who wishes to have fun even along the road especially if they are riding separate cars. It would be a fun way to enjoy the journey right?

Hmm…now I think we should include this game when we hold our summer outing this year. Our company don’t usually rent big bus during summer outing. We go on separate cars per department. And usually we all got bored before reaching our destination so I think this year if the committee will agree, we’ll have this game. I think it would be very exciting. Since the mechanics is easy, we’ll just have to prepare the road trip bingo cards like this one and we’ll be all set.

Just want to share with you pictures of my little girl with her dad when we went up to the prayer mountain last week. She got hungry on our way home and since there's no fast food restaurant available, we just stopped on a good spot along the road, lol! Good thing we brought some snacks with us.

For most of us, welcoming the New Year also means, setting up new goals for the year or what they call their New Year’s Resolutions. Do you set up your own list? I didn’t. I don’t usually make resolutions but I do list some goals that I know I can attain every year. Although there are goals that I fail to attain sometimes I’m happy each end of the year when most are attained.

But do you know what the top three resolutions of people are every year? Well, based on surveys, one of them is to get more organized, another is to get out of debt or be debt free, and the most famous is get in shape, be fit or lose weight. According to some articles I read, most resolutions do not happen. Meaning, most people fail to fulfill their resolutions. It’s quite sad, right? The problem sometimes boils down to financial issues. For instance, if one’s desire or goal is to get fit, he has to go to the gym. And gym sessions aren’t free so he needs money. He has to get good gym instructor, which isn’t free as well. He also have to follow strict diet like the South Beach diet, and most of the time, non- fat or less fat products usually cost higher than regular food products. Plus, if he wants to get fit even at home, he needs to invest on good fitness equipments. If this is you, well I guess there’s no problem in attaining this goal. Money isn’t going to be an issue because nowadays there are companies that offer emergency loans even for this kind of need. So you can’t make money now as an excuse. You can possibly get your getting-fit-goal attained, and that’s good news right?

Another keys and I think two of the most important keys in keeping up with your resolution are consistency and determination. It’s not really going to work even if you have the money if you are not consistent and determined. So this year, keep up with your resolution. Get the available resources, be determined to carry on and be consistent.