No More Acne

I was reading about this exposed acne treatment reviews and asked myself where were these products when I was younger and prone to acne? When I was a teenager up until the time when I was working already, acne had been a problem to me. I went to a dermatologist once a month to control it and I must have used tons of medicated topical cream to get rid of it. But having very oily skin coupled with the tropical weather in the Philippines made it hard to really get rid of my acne back then. But when I moved to US things changed. Though I still get a pimple once in awhile, it's nothing compared to the acne I got before.

Overdoing Workout

Yesterday I worked out in the gym for a little over two hours. It was because I wanted to finish just in time for my son's school dismissal so I wouldn't need to go home anymore. I did a lot of weight-lifts that were not included in my program. I sweat a lot and it felt good. But when I woke up this morning I felt very sore and I've got stiffed neck. It was my plan to work out again today but my neck really bothers me I could use some best muscle supplements to relieve it. Next time I will just take it easy.

Getting Better

Can you feel the economy getting a little better already? I read that some companies are hiring again. Actually if you look at job search online there are tons of available jobs waiting to be filled up. Also the value of some of our stocks went up a little bit, so I guess that's a good thing. Hopefully things will get much better this year and the people who got laid off and lost their houses will get their normal lives back again.

I Want to Experience New Orleans

One of the places that my hb and I want to visit is New Orleans. We both want to experience its famous annual carnival, the Mardi Gras, a celebration attended by tourists all over the world because of its ornate parades, costume balls and festivities. My hb was there once before but on business trip. He stayed in hotel new orleans close to where the action was supposed to be, but he didn't see much because he was a week ahead of the festivities. But I know it could get a bit crazy during the Mardi Gras day with people getting drunk and women flashing for bead necklaces. So I don't think it is such a good idea for my little son to see this wild behavior. But I read that the parade goes around town anyway, and there's only one street where people get pretty wild, so we shouldn't take our son in that street.

I Need Portion Control Scale

It has been a struggle for me to control my craving for sweets. Once I started eating chocolates I just couldn't get my mind off them. It's good enough that I started going to the gym already, at least I could burn some calories off. But I still feel the need to get really serious about controlling my appetite for sweets and fatty food. I eat a lot of junk when I'm stressed and I'm working online. Munching something sweet while doing my online work seems to get my brain working, so it became a habit for me to have sweets within my reach, like I'm munching on M&M's right now, yikes.

Anyway, I am thinking of getting myself one of those food scales so I can control the portion of my food intake. I need portion control scale so I can monitor my 1,200 calorie per day goal and it would be best to get those digital scales so measuring is quicker and easier. I could easily get to the weight I'm working for if I can strictly control my food intake coupled with three-times a week work-out. But hopefully I won't backslide in my work-out routine this time. Well of course I can't totally give up baking cookies for my 'boys' even if I'm trying to control my sweet tooth. I bake cookies a lot and I usually bake in bulk so I can freeze away for later. I found stainless steel scales that bakers use which I'm interested to buy. It's 16 lb capacity and two platforms sound perfect for baking in bulk.

My Hair Vanity

Do you have any vanity? I do. I don't go for expensive clothes or purses, not even make-ups but I will splurge on my hair and hair supplements. I'm also very daring when it comes to hairstyle, I've tried them all - from very short bob cut to long frizzy style; from one length style to spiky tops. That's only because I trusted my hairstylist back then. But when I came over here in US, it took a while for me to find the hair stylist that could really do the style I want. I must have tried all the salons in town but just didn't go back to any of them anymore after my first appointment. Then luckily I found this Vietnamese salon some 24 miles from my place. I go there all the time and I don't mind the drive. It's also just beside the fave Oriental store and Chinese dimsum restaurant that we frequent, so it's worth the long drive.

Linguine with Kielbasa and Broccoli

My family is a pasta lover so there's no week that pasta is not included in my planned menu. I mostly use tomato sauce in my pasta dishes but because hb requested that I make some pasta with sauce other than tomato for our Christmas get-together with friends, I thought I'd try this interesting Linguine with Kielbasa and Broccoli recipe that I found in my Food Network magazine. I love basil pesto and I've used it in some of my dishes like baked salmon, however, I have never tried using Gorgonzola cheese. I was reluctant at first to try this dish anticipating that it might have very strong flavor because of the Gorgonzola cheese and the salty kielbasa, but it turned out really great.

INGREDIENTS:
1 16-ounce pkg. uncooked linguine
4 cups fresh small broccoli florets
1 pkg. Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 7-ounce pkg. refrigerated basil pesto
1 5-ounce pkg. crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
2 green onions, sliced
Salt and ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook linguine according to package directions. During the last 4 minutes of cooking, add broccoli to water. When linguine and broccoli are tender, drain; keep warm.
2. Cut sausage into 1/2 inch cubes. Heat a 4 to 6 quart pan over medium high heat for 3 minutes. Add sausage and onion to pan; cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage is browned and ionion is tender.
3. Add hot sauce, cooked linguine and broccoli. Toss gently over medium heat for 1 minute. Stir in pesto, Gorgonzola and green onions; heat through. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Source: gomeat.com

Holiday Gift Shopping

Every year no matter how I plan to do an early holiday shopping to avoid the crowd I still end up cramming anyway. Kids get harder to buy gifts for each year, they are into expensive computer games and latest gadgets that oftentimes they already own. I find it easier to buy gifts for younger kids and older people, they are easier to please. Like my son loves anything Thomas and Friends. He gets excited at just anything he sees the logos and pictures of the trains on like in books, stickers, underpants, backpacks, blanket, etc so he's got them all. My uncle who loves to smoke hinted that he'd like to receive cigars or his fave unfiltered cigarettes for Christmas, so it was also easy. Though I didn't feel like giving in to his request because it's bad for his health, I just had to give what he likes. Anyway, I'm glad that holiday gift shopping was all over, hopefully it would still be easy for my son and relatives again next time.