Let's Get Physical, Physical...

Remember the song of Olivia Newton-John, Physical? Yes, I'm that old ;)

Let's get physical, physical
I wanna get physical
Let's get into physical
Let me hear your body talk, your body talk
Let me hear your body talk

Well my body is definitely talking to me, actually more like screaming at me, for going crazy this morning dancing my butt off all by myself in my attempt to get physically fit. LOL :D

I go for a walk for my exercise but since it was raining this morning I decided to do something else. Danced like hell, climbed the stairs, did some stretching and used a couple of dumbbells for resistance. Well, I'm definitely paying the price for it! My legs and arms are sore! But I'm not regretting it, in fact I loved what I did this morning. I'll try to do it every morning. It was a good workout. Now if only I can get the song (Physical) out of my head... ;)

BTW...

Around this time next week, I will be back at work. I'm going to miss waking up late in the morning and letting the days go by with no worries. But I must admit I am starting to get bored at home. I can only do so much chores or home projects and I cannot go shopping everyday. So I'm actually looking forward to going back to the grind. :)

Mother Nature's Wrath

Manila (Philippines), the city where I was born, took a beating from Mother Nature this weekend. The hardest hit was Marikina (a suburb of Manila and where I lived most of my life) and Cainta were the hardest hit towns. This is the worst typhoon and flooding in 42 years.

I have seen videos, pictures and the news about the tragedy and it is devastating. It is similar to Hurricane Katrina that hit New Orleans. I saw pictures of dead people and animals lying on the roads. It is very sad.

I have no immediate family in the Philippines, mostly relatives and friends. But my heart goes out for them, after all they are still my family. Fortunately my Dad's brother and his son are safe. Some of my friends and their families are safe too. What a relief! A lot of their material possessions are gone. They are back to square one. But the way I look at it, material things can be replaced, lives cannot. So I continue praying for their safety and hope that this disaster never happen again in my old hometown.

A Little Concerned

It is probably nothing but I have been feeling pain on my right breast. The pain is in front and not where the tumor was removed. Should I be concerned? I keep checking my breasts since yesterday. But my surgeon and oncologist told me I will feel pain lots of times. Just take Tylenol they said. Like I said before any pain I feel now makes me wonder if it is anything more than that.

I have been having headaches too since I had the cold. Maybe the virus is still in my system.

Pain, pain go away.... PLEASE!

Chain Reaction

First it was Joshua, then Jason and now me. Colds and cough. Definitely the flu season is upon us. My throat got sore on Wednesday, first sign. Yesterday I was knocked out almost the whole day. I think I had a mild fever because I had the chills, no appetite and my body ached. I'm feeling a little bit better today but trying to take it easy. The kids still have a wee bit cold/cough but it's a lot better than the past few days. I hope Mark doesn't get it.

Good thing I got it now coz I will be back to work in about 10 days. But then again, fall just started and there might be more to come. I hope not.

Raising Eyebrows

Lately my eyebrows has been getting some sort of attention. I have seen women look at my eyebrows, a few even approached me and asked if they are tattoed or not. I did not have my brows tattoed. I have been patiently drawing the arches every single day since I lost my brows due to chemo. My brows are few and sparse. They are not what they used to be pre-chemo days and I can't wait until the brows are back to normal. (I should thank the ladies who taught me how to do it at the "Look Good, Feel Better" class I went to at the cancer centre.) :)

I was leaving the dental office this morning when all of a sudden one of the patients called me. An old lady with a very, very thick Russian or European accent talked to me. I did not understand half of what she said because of the accent but the bits and pieces I picked up she wanted to know who did my eyebrows, was it tattoed? I told her I draw my own eyebrows using a pencil. I even showed her what I've been using. She's using the same brand but was quite impressed how I did mine. The best part was she told me I am a very beautiful lady. Wow, even with a wig on?!?!?! (grin) What a way to start a day! It certainly made mine! :)

Morbid Thoughts

One thing I hate about being idle is thinking about the future and what might happen. I do not know why but lately I have been thinking about death. Morbid huh? Wild thoughts are going through my mind. No, I'm not thinking of suicide but more of what if I die?

I know we are mere mortals on this planet and it is inevitable but it has been on my mind lately. I was mortified of dying before but lately I have come to terms with it. Scary but true. I guess it is part of getting old, accepting the fact that it will happen eventually. It is depressing but it is a fact of life. It is bound to happen. A friend of mine once told me she's not afraid to die, in fact she looks forward to it because she will be meeting her Creator. :) I guess I should look at it that way.

All these thoughts because all I can think of are our children's future.

But I saw a quote from Buddha that says: “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” It is absolutely true. I should enjoy my life today, cherish every moment with my family and not worry about the future.

Anyway, hopefully these thoughts will end once I go back to work. I will be a busy bee by then.

Oh Canada!

September 20, 1997 was the first time I set foot on the good ol' Canadian soil. I can't believe it has been 12 years already. It was one of the major decisions I made in my life, to move to another country for a fresh start.

So many things have happened since I came to Canada. I met my husband, gave birth to two wonderful kids and have a job I love. I also became a Canadian citizen, gained new friends, bought a house and so many other good things.

It is also here that I was diagnosed with breast cancer. A bummer to the nth degree! My "oh no, why me?!?!" moment. ;) The worst experience I've ever had. But on the bright side, all my treatments were free, thanks to the Canadian government and our healthcare system. We would probably be up to our ears in debt if we lived somewhere else.

I have no regrets living here, it is my new home. I have had my highs and lows since I lived here in Canada, but then again who doesn't.

All Set, I Think

I got a call from our Occupational Health Nurse (OHN) this afternoon. She wants me to see her first thing in the morning on October 5th before I go to my work station. A meeting with the OHN and my boss 9:00 a.m. has been set up that day, I guess to iron out some details about my work and maybe some paperwork. Not really sure what's happening.

Anyway, it seems like I'm all set to go back to work in 20 days. :)

The Countdown Continues...

Three more weeks before I go back to work. Yikes!

George Clooney is in TOwn! Oprah too!

Omigosh! My man, my idol George Clooney is in town!!!! GC is in town for the TIFF to promote his two new movies - "Up in the Air" and "The Men Who Stare at Goats". He is so hot! He loves his fans that GC even signed autographs with his injured hand. Our newspaper even featured him, almost a full page feature - how to win a date with George Clooney. I do not stand a chance to be his date except maybe I'm an unknown/regular woman(one of the lessons), and that I am. I'm sure he wouldn't care who I am but boy oh boy it would be fantastic just to see him. A girl can dream, right? LOL :D

Double the fun, Oprah is in town too! She's here to promote a movie she produced, "Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire". Oprah is here. The diva, the goddess, my favorite TV host of all time. Need I say more?

I'm sure it will be near to impossible to even catch a glimpse of GC and O, but I can't believe they're in town and breathing the same air I breathe!!!

Ya Think?

I read in our local newspaper today that 4 out of 5 breast cancer survivors fear the recurrence of their cancer. Ya think?!?!?! I mean, what else will it be?

If one breast had a tumor, will the other get one too? This is a common dilemma for women diagnosed with breast cancer. Personally I think 99 per cent of women who had breast cancer have this fear.

I'm not surprised at all with the results of this survey. Based from my personal experience, even though my latest mammogram was negative and even though my oncologists said I'm cancer free, I am totally scared of a recurrence. I try not to think of it on a daily basis or let it get over my head but there are days, especially when I feel pain, when I wonder. I pray that I don't.

Fear of a recurrence is exactly the reason why I asked and requested for a mastectomy (even double mastectomy) to no avail. All my doctors flatly said no and that it's the last resort in my case. I had no qualms about taking "the girls" off my chest if it would mean extending my life for another 50 years. But my medical team of doctors, specialists and what not told me not to. This is also the reason why I begged Dr. K to give me a breast ultrasound for my peace of mind. Again, that thought went out the window. Darn.

Anyway, the article listed a few ways to avoid recurrence (with no guarantees, of course): limit alcohol to no more than one a day (no problem with that one); avoid smoking (stopped smoking a looong time ago but only as an occasional smoker); exercising (yikes!), maintaining a low fat diet (uhm...) and healthy weight (oh boy! lol :D). I'm trying really hard on the lifestyle changes (the last three), some people may agree or disagree, but I really am trying. Trying to eat healthier and making greener/better choices for my well-being.

The article further stated that "starting treatment with the most appropriate therapy from the outset and taking medication as directed can help reduce the chance of a breast cancer recurrence". Taking medications on time is also crucial they said. Gotta remember not to forget to take my meds then. Four years and nine more months to go.

Joshua's and Jason's Rules

It's back to school today. Woohoo! And boy, our kids were excited. I was quite surprised how excited they were, I thought they were dreading it, I guess I'm wrong. They even came up with a set of rules before going to school. Jason's probably the "mastermind" behind these rules but I must say they followed it to a tee this morning. It is too cute and too funny not to share so here it is:

1. Wake up at 6:45 a.m.
2. Watch 1 25-minute episode - 7:00 (my guess - The Suite Life of Zach and Cody, their favorite!)
3. Have cereal and 2 waffles - 5 minutes
4. Brush our teeth for 4 minutes
5. Take a shower for 2 minutes
6. Pack-up and get changed
7. Watch Pokemon 10 minutes and drink smoothies
8. Put on your stuff and get to school.

Kids do (and say) the darndest things don't they ;)

For a Greener, Healthier Tomorrow

Our family is slowly but surely going green. It's good for the environment and good for our family.

We replaced our teflon, non-stick pots and pans with stainless steel ones. There are concerns that teflon might cause cancer. When used in very high temperatures, it somehow gives off fumes that is bad for our health. Some people might disagree especially the Teflon experts and I'm not saying we are right on this one but our family is airing on the side of caution and won't use those products anymore. Better safe than sorry as they say.

We also plan to replace our plastic cooking utensils/bowls with wooden or stainless steel products. Again plastic is a big no-no especially in microwaves. Please do not use plastics in microwaves, ever! It is kind-a hard these days when almost everything is made out of plastic or contains plastic. But for our family, every little change helps. Don't get me wrong, we still use plastic containers for storage but not for cooking. I am also planning to buy glass, ceramics or stonewares to replace our plastic ones.

Next step is going green with our household products. We have not started yet but we are planning to use greener, more environmentally-friendly cleaning products. I read that our good old vinegar, lemons and baking soda are the best three products to deodorize and clean surfaces in our homes. The lesser toxic fumes, the better.

When it comes to food, we no longer buy processed meat. We are going all natural, as much as we can. Some of our produce and meat are organic, some are not. Organics are really pricey so we tend to buy whatever is on sale or has a good price. Our family also drinks fresh smoothies everyday courtesy of Mark. All good for our health. I'm sure Mark will have a gazillion information about health more than I do but these little info I know. ;)

Anyway, there are so many other things we are planning to do. For some, the changes we made or will be doing may sound extreme or a little over the top but it's for our family. The bottom line is if you were in our shoes (and after what we've been through), you will do everything to keep your family safe and healthy. It's our contribution to the environment and benefits our family too. :)

PS - I think my hubby will be proud of me about this post, hee hee ;)